The Bengal Tiger
by SomeAreLakes
Summary: AU. Emily's a successful architect, living the high life, the one she had always dreamed of. The owner of a small Indian restaurant might just be about to change all that.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Guess who's back, back again? Eminem style. *awkward dance move***

**Yes my darlings, I'm starting a new story! Yay! Can't stay away for too long can I? You'll see, this one's going to be quite different from ABTOL but I hope you're going to like it nonetheless.**

**This chapter, well, this whole story goes out to the lovely **_**But I'm Good At It**_** who has been a persistent bitch for the couple of days, getting me to finally write the following chapter. She's the one you have to thank for the top ass-kicking job.**

**Without any further introduction...shall we?**

**I don't own Skins. Shocking, I know.**

I roll on my back, covering my breasts with the silky covers.

"Fuck Emily, you really are the best." Richard states, panting heavily as he distractedly runs a finger down my forearm, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

I bring my mouth next to his ear.

"I know." I practically purr, licking his earlobe.

He moans, trying to pull me into a kiss but I quickly put my finger on his lips. "Not now. I have a meeting in thirty minutes."

I get up, making sure to give him a great view of my arse as I put my panties back on, soon followed by my bra.

"Shit..." I mutter to myself, taking in my dishevelled appearance whilst trying to fix my hair a bit in front of Richard's bedroom's huge mirror.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see him rummaging in a drawer as I put some red lipstick back on, removing the smudges created by our earlier heated kisses.

A few moments later, Richard places himself behind me, circling my waist. I hold my mascara brush still, immediately noticing the blue velvety box he's holding.

"I've got a little something for you."

Our eyes meet in the mirror and he nods, smiling, as I grab the box from his hands and open it eagerly, gasping when I find a very expensive looking diamond necklace inside.

I can't help the excited squeal that comes out as I carefully pick up the necklace, letting it glide between my fingers as it shines in the light.

"I thought you would like it." Richard says, lightly kissing my shoulder, grinning with satisfaction.

"Richard...You have got to stop giving me gifts like those... I-"

"Nonsense." He takes the necklace from my hands, pushing the hair away from my neck whilst he plants kisses on the side of it. "All done." Richard says, clasping the necklace behind my neck. We both look at it in the mirror and I smile, lightly touching it with my fingertips.

"It looks gorgeous. Thank you."

Richard only nods, smacking my arse as he kisses me on the cheek. "I need a shower now. Do you want my limo to go to your meeting?"

I shake my head, buttoning up my white shirt. "You're the company's president Richard. Everyone at work would recognize your limo." I grab my skirt off the floor. "Plus, I doubt your wife would appreciate the sight of me riding your precious car."

I raise my eyebrow, smirking.

He smiles, handing me my purse that had carelessly been thrown away. "You're right, as always."

I put on my black heels, checking my lipstick and make-up one more time before I give him a quick peck on the lips.

"I have to go now or else I'm really going to be late." I slightly play with the hem of his robe, giving him my best seductive smile. "But I'm sure we can meet again for a _long_ lunch later this week."

I can see his pupils getting dark again but I don't give him the chance to answer, only winking before I exit his penthouse.

After a quick elevator ride, I put on my black sunglasses and step onto New York's busy streets, checking my cell phone only to find a text from my sister Katie, lovingly reminding me that we have a Fitch dinner on Saturday.

Fifteen minutes later, I enter inside the building of Monroe's Industry, slightly out of breath.

I start to walk towards the meeting room, readjusting my shirt, when a coffee magically appears at my side.

"Thanks Eff." I grab the coffee and instantly take a sip, not even bothering to look at the girl beside me. I've known her long enough to recognize her mysterious ways.

"Where have you been?" Effy asks, her voice monotone as usual.

"None of your business."

"Still fucking the big boss then?"

"Jesus Eff! Could you say it any fucking louder?" I whisper, wildly looking around us to make sure no one heard her.

Effy puts a cold hand on my shoulder. "Calm down Emily."

We arrive in front of the meeting room, and I can see Freddie and his assistant Pandora through the windows, already waiting for us, papers neatly resting on the table in front of them.

I sigh, Effy opening the door for me.

"Everyone in New York probably already knows anyway."She says behind me just as I'm about to get inside, and I can practically hear her smirking. _Fucking bitch._

When I enter the room, I instantly meet Freddie's unreadable eyes, Panda giving me a quick but cheerful wave.

"Fitch."

I sit down, Effy next to me, before nodding in his direction. "McClair." _Stuck-up cunt._

He checks something on his papers before looking up again.

"I arranged this meeting today because the company might be starting a new project in the next months. One of the biggest we've had in years- probably the biggest ever." Freddie adds dramatically and I can hear Effy stifling a laugh. He has always been one for showing off.

I raise my eyebrows expectantly after a few seconds of silence, waiting for him to continue.

Freddie clasps his hands in front of him. "And the company thought you'd be the best one to handle and coordinate the whole thing."

I nod. _Nothing new there._

"What's this apparently incredible project then?" I ask, crossing my legs.

Panda hands Freddie a piece of paper and he slides it in front of me. There's a very rudimentary drawing on it, one of a rather big building.

I pass it to Effy before meeting Freddie's gaze once more. "What's that?"

He readjusts his glasses, taking a sip of the glass of water placed in front of him. "We want to buy a building on the other side of town. It has been abandoned for years and we would like to turn it into a very posh hotel where we'll hopefully be able to attract a bunch of the current hottest actors and Hollywood stars. It's very vague at this point but it has the potential to be big if we handle it well."

I bite my bottom lip, an awful habit I have whenever I'm concentrating. "I must admit this sounds rather interesting." I answer genuinely. It has been a while since I've worked on something even remotely exciting.

The company basically buys old buildings all across the city, usually for cheap, in order to revamp them and that's where, as an architect, I come in. We mostly do shops or hotels and, I must admit, we do pretty well.

"Perfect. I'll fill you in with all the details later- today was just to present you the general idea."

I go to get up but Freddie shakes his head. "There's one more thing you're going to have to take care of."

I nod. "Shoot."

"The building we want to buy isn't actually unoccupied", Freddie starts, air quoting the last word, "There's this small albeit apparently popular Indian restaurant named The Bengal Tiger, owned by a certain", he checks his note, "Mr. Campbell, that has been occupying the whole first floor for almost two years now. As you can imagine, we'd like to buy it as well to have the whole building to ourselves. This restaurant would obviously just get in the way. Problem is, we know from our sources that he received many offers over the years but never accepted to sell the restaurant to anyone."

Freddie stops then, looking at me expectantly as if I'm supposed to know where he's going.

Effy clears her throat beside me, sporting her familiar bored look.

"What does this have to do with me Freddie?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows. "I'm usually not the one who deals with those sell things."

He nods. "I know. But you're a shark Fitch, that's the reputation you've got not only here, but in the whole industry. You're the one we need if we want to convince that Mr. Campbell that selling his shitty little restaurant is the best decision he could ever make."

I go to protest again but to be honest, I'm quite appalled by the idea. I've always been one to negotiate and fight until I get what I want but more importantly, I'm used to winning.

I give Effy a sideway glance and she just smirks, probably already knowing what my decision's going to be.

"Ok. I accept to coordinate the whole thing."

Freddie smiles triumphantly. "We knew you would be in."

"I'm in, but on my conditions."

His smile gets a little wider as he grabs some papers Panda's handing him. "I'm listening."

OOOOOO

"Fuck, this is much bigger than I thought it would be..." I run a hand through my hair before grabbing my wine glass, taking a much needed sip.

Effy puts down her pencil, nodding.

She's our marketing director here at Monroe's and therefore, we are used to work together on different projects that usually combine revamping old buildings into hotels or shops, my department, and then making sure everyone knows about it, which is more related to her expertise.

"When does Freddie want you to first meet that Mr. Campbell?"

I shrug. "Well, he thinks the effect of surprise is the best strategy here so I'm supposed to go there on Thursday and you know...impress the guy, bat my eyelashes a bit, throw all of my arguments in his face and hope he's going to sell me the restaurant. Should be easy." I add with a smug smile.

Effy laughs. "He has not the slightest chance against you."

"Obviously." I glance down at my computer, sighing. "Fuck it, I think I'm done for the night."

Effy gets up, gathering her stuff in her bag. "Yes, me too. Do you have everything you need to go meet Mr. Campbell tomorrow?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'm all good. It shouldn't take long anyway."

"You can be very persuasive."

"That's what I've heard." I wink, getting up as well to stretch my sore back.

"Tony's been asking about you by the way."

"What did he say?"

"He wants to know why you haven't called him back." Effy stares at me, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"He was just a good fuck Eff. I'm not going to lie to him and go out on a date to preserve his feelings." I answer bluntly. Sugar coating's for pussies.

Effy laughs loudly. "Fair enough. He can be such a dick anyway."

"I'm with you on that one babes."

"Ok, I'm off now. See you tomorrow Fitch." Effy grabs her bag, walking towards the entrance of my flat. "Nice necklace by the way. "Very discrete."

I laugh. "Fuck you Stonem."

OOOOOO

On Thursday morning, I get out of the cab I took from my apartment, paying the driver before I spin on my heels, taking in my surroundings.

The Bengal Tiger's in Soho, in a part of this neighbourhood that's been slowly but surely developing throughout the last couple of years and that we're currently hoping to kick into full-popularity mode.

I check the address on my phone, realizing I'll still have a few blocks to walk before getting to the restaurant.

I'm texting Richard about a possible meeting tomorrow when a strong smell makes me stop dead in my tracks. A strong yet delicious, sweet smell.

Looking up, I find myself standing right in front of The Bengal Tiger, surprised when I see how small the restaurant actually is.

"It's going to be easier than I thought." I mumble, smirking as I slightly unbutton my shirt. _A bit of cleavage whilst negotiating with a man can never hurt you._

I enter the restaurant and I can't help but take in a deep breath, lungs filling with appetizing curry aromas, impressed by the colourful and welcoming atmosphere of this small place.

Wooden tables are scattered everywhere, orange and purple tablecloths on each of them.

The walls are practically covered with pictures, most of them I assume representing India, but a lot of them also represent a blonde woman in different places. Out of the one I can see, I recognize the Eiffel tower, the China's wall and Sydney's opera.

Small lights are hung on the ceiling and many plants are completing this rather eclectic yet charming place, filled with traditional Indian music.

The place is rather empty at the moment, lunch time still being in a couple of hours.

I stand there for a moment, enthralled by the multitude of little objects that have been used to decorate the place before a guy appears from behind a counter at the far end of the restaurant, starting to walk towards me.

"It's a bit too early for curry don't you think love?" The guy asks, giving me a toothy smile.

I smirk, noticing him eyeing my tits. _I've got you._ "Hi Mr. Campbell, I'm Emily Fitch." I reply confidently, extending my hand.

At that, the guy only laughs, a loud, annoying laugh, before shaking his head forcefully. "Oh fuck, I'm not Campbell red! I'm just the Cookie Monster! Or Cook, if you prefer. At your service." He adds, making a ridiculous bow.

"Well, where can I find Mr. Campbell please?" I ask, eager to get this over with as soon as possible.

Cook rubs the back of his neck, still smiling. "Well, actually, it's not-"

Before he gets the chance to finish his sentence, someone clears its throat behind me.

"Actually, it's _miss _Campbell."

**...So? It was just the intro, I simply wanted to be able to start the real story as soon as possible so sorry if it all seems a bit rushed...**

**If you feel like it, tell me what you think? Either way, I'm glad to be back and I hope you're all doing wonderful! Mwaaa!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my God you silly, silly you! Thanks a lot for the overwhelming response I got for the first chapter! Wow. All of a sudden, I feel like pinching your cheeks and make you all sit on my lap. Come on. Don't be shy.**

**Sorry for the delay by the way- I was still struggling with the plot but now I've got it pretty much figured out so the updates are definitely going to be more frequent. Can I get a Woop Woop?**

**Here we go. Chapter dos.**

"Actually, it's _miss_ Campbell."

I turn around, instantly meeting blue eyes currently eyeing me curiously, a rather amused smile floating on their lips' owner.

_Oh, _I think to myself, unable to hold a smirk when I take in the blonde woman's appearance, _so this is the mighty Campbell I'm supposedly going to have a hard time dealing with._

She's wearing a grey baggy t-shirt with an absolutely hideous flower pattern on the front along with a pair of seemingly old jeans, ripped at the knees. A shitload of different bangles is hanging on her left wrist and my eyes widen a bit when I see practically her whole right arm is covered with a very complex and colourful tattoo.

Even though she's apparently not wearing any make-up, I must admit she has a really pretty face, her blue eyes popping out without the help of any mascara or eyeliner. Her shoulder-length peroxide blonde hair is loose, a few random strands braided.

And she's bare foot, holding some kind of big wooden box.

_Christ. I really didn't need some hippie girl this early in the morning. And I didn't even have coffee yet._

I extend my hand for the second time, perfectly practiced fake smile plastered on my face.

"Sorry for the confusion miss Campbell. I'm Emily Fitch."

She shifts the box on her left hip, holding it with one hand as she extends the other one, disarmingly bright smile lighting up her whole face.

"No problem at all. And please, you can call me Naomi." Her gaze moves to Cook, still standing behind me. "Can you go get the rest of the food in the truck Cook, please?"

"Right away boss." Cook moves past me, heading outside the restaurant but not before throwing a wink my way.

_Never going to happen sweetie._

Miss Campbell, or Naomi, then looks back at me, big smile still in place.

"Sorry, Thursdays are market days and therefore it's a bit messy here."

I nod politely, wanting to get to business as soon as possible.

"I'll just bring those spices to the kitchen", she says, walking backwards towards two bright purple swing doors, "but you can sit at one of the tables and I'll be back in a sec'."

Naomi disappears in the kitchen and I sigh, choosing a table next to the window. I take out some papers out of my briefcase before checking my messages rapidly.

_Hopefully, I'll be out of here soon enough to grab lunch with Katie._

I'm texting Effy when Naomi finally sits in front of me, her cheeks a bit rosy.

I put my phone aside.

Naomi tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her bangles clinking as she does so.

"Once again, sorry it took so long." She smiles genuinely. "But I'm all yours now. How can I be of any help?"

I clear my throat, crossing my legs under the table so that I'm more comfortable.

"Well, miss Campbell-"

"Naomi, please."

I raise my eyebrow. "Well, _Naomi, _I'm here today with a business plan that could be rather interesting for The Bengal Tiger's future."

Naomi just nods, propping up a foot on her chair and circling her knee with her hands. I can see she's wearing slightly chipped sky blue nail polish.

"I work for Monroe's Industry and to put it simply, we just bought the rest of the building in which we're currently sitting and we'd also like to buy your restaurant. At a very advantageous price, of course." I add, clasping my hands in front of me.

Naomi bites her bottom lip, frowning. "You're aware my restaurant is not for sale at the moment, right?"

I nod. "Yes, yes I am. However, let me explain what our project is. Like I said, it has the potential to be profitable for you and your business." I gesture in the air before pushing the papers I brought towards Naomi.

For the next half hour, I explain the hotel project, often interrupted by Naomi who doesn't seem to be missing a thing despite the multitude of information and data I'm throwing her way, which I must admit I'm quite surprised about.

She doesn't exactly give away a "business" vibe.

"That's pretty much it." I finally wrap up, expectantly eyeing Naomi.

She looks lost in her thoughts for a while, quickly going through the different papers now scattered in front of her.

After a few minutes, she puts them in a neat pile and raises her gaze to meet my growingly impatient one.

"Your offer is indeed very...interesting miss Fitch but as I already told you, and quite a few before you, The Bengal Tiger is not for sale. I intend on running it for at least a couple more years." She adds, smiling tentatively as though she's trying not to hurt my feelings.

I nod curtly, gathering the papers before I put them back into my briefcase.

"Fine miss Campbell, I understand."

She seems a bit taken aback, probably expecting me to fight more than that but that's a little trick I've come to learn over the years; destabilize the other party before you come back later for round two.

_Works everytime._

I stand up, straightening my skirt but just as I'm about to bid Naomi goodbye, three construction workers enter the restaurant, laughing loudly.

"Hi Naomi, you're looking lovely today!" One of them says when they notice me and Naomi in the corner of the room.

Naomi chuckles, raising her eyebrows. "Stop with the compliments Ted, you know it ain't going to earn you free chicken curry anytime soon."

"A guy can try!" He replies, winking, before settling down at a table with his friends.

"I'll bring you the usual in a minute", Naomi adds before turning her blue eyes towards me, her bright smile firmly back in place, "I'm sorry but clients are starting to arrive and it's usually very busy here during lunch time and I have to..." She motions towards the kitchen, clearly not wanting to be impolite and leave me there.

"I understand." I give her a tight smile, shaking her hand. "Thanks for listening to my offer. Have a nice day."

Naomi grins, greeting new customers although she's still gazing at me intently, making me slightly uncomfortable.

I finally turn on my heels after a final nod her way but I don't get to make two steps before Naomi softy calls out my name. I reluctantly turn around, sighing.

_What could she possibly want?_

Naomi tucks the same lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I know you didn't get what you came here for- hi Jerry!- but you could always have lunch here...It's chicken curry day and I've heard people say it's one of the best in town..."

I furrow my eyebrows, wondering where this offer came from. The only thing I know is that I have no intention of spending my lunch time in this restaurant.

"Er...well... I have other plans. Sorry miss Camp-"

"Naomi." She replies almost instantly, still smiling although it seems a bit forced now.

"Sorry...Naomi."

There's a bit of an awkward silence but I quickly clear my throat. I don't do awkward.

"I'm off now."

I don't let her time to reply before I exit the restaurant, instantly putting on my sunglasses when I'm hit with a surprisingly shiny September sun.

As if on cue, my phone rings just as I start to walk towards a busier street to get a cab.

"Fitch."

"How did it go?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking McClair."

Freddie sighs impatiently on the other side.

"And if you must know, it didn't go very well."

"What? Are you shitting me?"

"You heard me. Campbell, who was a "she" by the way, didn't agree to sell The Bengal Tiger." I reply calmly, motioning to a cab passing by, smirking when it stops immediately.

"Fucking hell. Richard's not going to like it."

I enter the cab, quickly giving the address to the driver.

"Calm down Freddie. Jesus, you can be such a pussy."

"Fuck you Fitch. I dare hope you have something in mind to be that confident."

I scoff. "Don't underestimate me sweetheart. Of course I have something in mind. You just need to give me more time, that's all."

Freddie sighs again. "Fine. But remember, _sweetheart_, failure is not a fucking option."

I roll my eyes, distractedly checking my lipstick in the rear-view mirror. "As much as I love to be threatened by you, I have to hang up or else I'm going to be late for lunch with Katie. Just trust me Freddie. We'll get that shitty little restaurant."

"I love your attitude Fitch. Talk to you later."

OOOOOO

When I wake up on Sunday morning, I stretch myself lazily, yawning as I check the clock on my bedside table.

6 AM.

I've never been one to sleep in- I feel like I'm missing out on something when I stay in bed knowing the streets below me are so full of life. That's why I love New York.

I get up and head to the kitchen, smiling when I'm welcomed by my cat, clearly wanting to be fed.

"Jesus, Anna Karenina, you're such a pain in the ass sometimes." I mumble, taking the cat food out of the cupboard.

When I'm done, I head back to my bedroom, deciding that I could use a good run before starting the day.

When I exit my apartment, clad in tight short and a training bra, I meet one of my neighbours, Ms. Carlisle, in the elevator.

The woman's a total uptight bitch but I'm always polite to her because I live in the Upper East Side and therefore, a twenty-something single girl living in her building is probably something that appears rather suspicious to her.

"Good morning Ms. Carlisle." I say cheerfully, giving her my trademark fake smile.

She sniffles in a snobbish way, raising her eyebrow. I can see she's eyeing my outfit in quite a disapproving manner.

_Fucking hell._

"Good morning miss Fitch."

The elevator ride is silent as I scroll through my iPod, finding my jogging playlist.

I plug in my earphones as we arrive at the first floor, not before I greet Ms. Carlisle.

"Have a nice day."

She nods curtly.

The air is a bit chilly as I finally come out but it's going to be the perfect weather for a run.

After a quick warm-up, I push play and start my usual path through the city.

I've been running for approximately twenty minutes, completely lost in my thoughts.

The Bengal Tiger has been a big part of them for the past few days. I know this project could be decisive for my career. Yes, I already have an awesome job and I must admit the pay check is rather interesting but I just can't help it. I've always been like that.

I constantly want _more._ Need more challenges. And The Bengal Tiger project is shaping up to be quite the one.

I wipe the light sweat that's starting to form on my forehead, slightly increasing my speed but just as I'm rounding a corner, I forcefully bump into something, or from the light grunt I hear, more like someone.

"Shit I'm sorry I-"

"Emily?"

I look up, meeting the shiny blue eyes of none other than miss Campbell. _Of course._

She's sporting what appears to be an oversized white shirt with rolled up sleeves, tucked into short denim shorts, her hair put up in a messy bun. Her tattoo's looking brighter in the morning light and I can see a colourful hummingbird on her forearm.

"Oh...hi." I reply, keeping my headphones and hoping she'll get the hint.

"What are you doing here so early?" Naomi says instead, smiling, and that's when I notice the four different dogs she has on leash.

"I'm running. I do it pretty much every morning."

One of the dogs, a small Beagle, starts jumping on my leg and I try to push it away, Naomi slightly chuckling.

"Sorry about him." She pulls on the leash, bringing the dog closer to her. "Pistachio tends to get a bit... excited when he's around new people."

Oh well. Clearly, I'm going to have to make a bit of small talk. "Are they," I gesture towards the dogs, "all yours...?"

Naomi laughs. A bright, genuine laugh. "Oh God, no! I take them out once or twice a week; they're from the animal shelter down on 48th. Some of them have been there for a while and I thought it must have been horrible for them to spend all of their days in cages."

I nod, a small smile involuntarily tugging at my lips. "That's very nice of you."

"Thank you." She grins. "I think you made a pretty big effect on Cook by the way."

I laugh, a bit taken aback by the sudden topic change. _ Jesus. Guys are unbelievably predictable._ "Did I?" I ask, playfully raising an eyebrow.

"You have no idea..."

Naomi looks at me pointedly and we both chuckle.

"I guess I'm going to let you finish your run then..." Naomi says after a moment. "The dogs are getting a bit impatient I think."

I smile, watching as Pistachio's trying to bite his own tail.

"Well...guess I'll see you around Naomi." I put my headphones back on.

"Finally."

I look up, furrowing my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Finally, you've dropped the 'miss Campbell'". Naomi replies, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Apparently... Bye _miss Campbell_."

I wink and start to run in the opposite direction, inwardly cursing myself for the stupid wink. It must have looked so pathetic and that's the last thing I want to look like in front of a potential client.

_Fuck it._

I turn the volume on, increasing my speed again.

I'll get The Bengal Tiger or my name is not Emily fucking Fitch.

**Well, well. It's still the intro really and you know me, I like it when things go slow... Build the tension and all... More Naomily interactions awaits you in the next chapter, you've got my words.**

**Until then...review? And...eat popsicles! Why the fuck not? Cheers! xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bonjour mes coeurs! Before we start, I just need to thank you all- reading your reviews has been a pleasure. You're all lovely and I'm incredibly glad you're enjoying it so far!**

**Someone said that Naomi was "embracing her inner Gina" and that made me laugh because that's actually how I wanted Naomi to come across! And because that was so well put. Haha.**

**On that note, chapter três ladies.**

I take a bite of my salad, gazing out the window at the various people passing by, waiting for Effy to come back from the bathroom.

We're having our usual Wednesday lunch, a tradition that has been lasting for as long as I've known her.

When she comes back, Effy takes a quick sip of her wine, eyeing me with this annoying stare of hers.

"So, what are you going to do about that Indian restaurant?"

I sigh, wondering if I should tell her the decision I've come to.

"You already have a plan, don't you?"

When I look up, I find Effy smirking, arms crossed as she's leaning on the back of her chair.

A waiter passes by and I motion for him to get more wine.

_Damn Effy._

"If you must know, I indeed have a plan." I start, thanking the waiter before taking a much needed sip myself. "I think I'm going to call Charlie."

Effy's eyebrow raises a bit higher. "Charlie? Really? I thought the company wasn't dealing with him anymore..."

I nod. "Yeah...well, at least officially. I still call him from time to time for that kind of business though. The guy's incredibly efficient."

"And? What are you going to ask him for?"

"I'll just ask him to dig anything on The Bengal Tiger and hopefully, he'll find something...interesting for me. And if so, then it's a mere question of blackmailing..."

I smile mischievously at Effy over my salad, earning me a small chuckle.

"You're fucking evil Fitch but I guess you know that already, don't you?"

I laugh, winking. "That's why I'm your best friend sweetie."

Effy raises her glass. "Cheers to that. And cheers to the poor miss Campbell who has no idea what's coming her way."

OOOOOO

It's not until a week later that I find myself standing in front of The Bengal Tiger again, confident that this time, my negotiating skills will get the best of miss Campbell.

When I push the door open, a little bell announces my arrival in the empty restaurant.

The smell floating around the small place is admittedly quite mouth watering and I can distinctly hear someone humming to the radio behind the closed purple kitchen doors.

I clear my throat, deciding after a brief moment to go knock on the doors to make my presence known- I haven't got the whole bloody day to wait here.

Slightly straightening my skirt, I knock loudly, hoping to be heard.

The music stops a few moments later before a blonde head pops out of the kitchen, a curious look plastered on her face.

When miss Campbell finally sees me standing there, she smiles brightly, completely coming out of the kitchen.

She's wearing a loose white v-neck along with a blue apron and worn out jeans, a towel hanging on her shoulder. Her hair are put in a high ponytail and I'm surprised to see that her arm tattoo is much bigger than I first thought, covering completely her upper arm and, from the skin revealed by her t-shirt, I can see it's continuing above her right breast as well.

Once again, she doesn't seem to be wearing any make up and with her hair put up like this, I'm able to notice an impressive amount of piercings on both of her ears.

_Christ._

"Miss Fitch", Naomi starts, smiling as she wipes her seemingly flour covered hands on the towel, "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"

I shake her extended hand, a bit taken aback by her friendly attitude. "You'll find I'm very persistent miss Campbell."

She chuckles, heading towards a table as she motions for me to follow her.

"I see we're back to 'miss Campbell" again..."

We sit at the same table we did a week ago, miss Campbell opting this time to sit crossed legged on her chair.

_Jesus, we're not at a bloody fire camp._

"Honestly, for the last time, call me Naomi. Miss Campbell's for my mom..." She giggles a bit more, eyeing me with her shiny blue eyes. However, I can see by the way she's toying with one of her rings that my presence is probably making her a bit nervous.

"Fine. It's Naomi from now on then."

She smiles a little more before lowering her eyes to the table. When she brings them up again, her gaze is serious but somehow, uncertain.

"I assume you didn't just come from the other side of Manhattan to make small talk with me though..." She trails off, waiting for me to enlighten her.

I clear my throat again. "You're right. But I'm afraid you're not going to particularly like why I'm here for."

I grab my suitcase on the floor, taking out the necessary papers before I slide them in front of Naomi. It feels like the last time I came here is repeating itself but today, I know for sure I've got the upper hand.

Naomi quickly looks at the papers in front of her then back at me. "What do you mean?" She asks, and an unpleasant feeling briefly settles in my chest when I hear her slightly hesitant tone.

I ignore it, putting on my best poker face instead. "The first paper you have in front of you is a copy of the permit the man who sold you this place gave you two years ago."

Naomi nods, furrowing her eyebrows. "I have a copy too at home... but... "

I can see she's hasn't got a clue as to where I'm going with this.

_Perfect._

I straighten myself a bit on the chair. "The problem with this permit, _Naomi_, is that it's actually illegal." Naomi's face becomes instantly paler as she just stares at me, wide-eyed. "One of my contacts found out that the city of New York has actually no record of you being the owner of this place. Actually, they have no record at all. It's as if this place doesn't even exist. Well, at least on a legal level."

I end my little speech, crossing my legs as I watch Naomi taking in all of this new information.

She's still playing with her gold ring, now biting her bottom lip as she's once again staring at the table. I can see her blinking furiously, apparently in deep thoughts.

"Once more, miss Fitch, can I ask you what you came here for?" Naomi raises her head and along with the expected confusion and fear, I'm surprised to find a hint of anger in her blue eyes.

"Well, I came to reiterate our proposition of buying your establishment but this time, I think this new...element will most likely make you reconsider your decision."

Naomi's cheeks become a little pink as she furrows her eyebrows, slightly leaning over the table. "I never thought you'd go as far as blackmailing me."

I smirk. "It's not my fault if you illegally own this place."

"I had no idea about all of this!" Naomi unexpectedly snaps, shakily running a hand through her messy blond hair, her blue eyes suddenly glistening with unshed tears.

She's looking so hopeless that for a moment, the weird feeling in my chest comes back and I almost feel like reaching out to grab her hand.

"Whether you knew it or not is not the question here", I say instead, ignoring her intense gaze, "It only leaves you with two choices. Choice A, you accept our offer and get a decent price for this place or, choice B, the city learns about your illegal permit and then, I doubt you'll get anything other than a notice of ejection."

Naomi doesn't reply and just keeps blankly staring at me, the seriousness of the situation probably only now fully dawning on her.

After a few minutes of silence, I decide to get up, eager to escape the nagging feeling in my chest.

"You already have my business card so please, do call me when your decision is made."

I wait for Naomi to answer but she's now looking at her twitching hands, a lose strand of hair slightly hiding her face.

She looks truly miserable and I feel the sudden urge to leave, knowing too well I'm the cause for it.

_Fucking hell. Man up Fitch._

"We'll talk later then."

I go to leave, the sound of my stilettos resonating loudly in the quiet restaurant but I don't get a chance to make it to the door before Naomi calls out my name.

"Please wait!"

I turn around to find Naomi now up. She quickly tucks the loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I- This restaurant truly means a lot to me miss Fitch..." She starts, anxiously playing with her bangles. "I know you probably don't care about this but...it really feels like home to me now..."

I nod, feeling rather uncomfortable under her intense blue eyes.

"I love The Bengal Tiger a lot and I think that you would too if you only... got to know it a bit."

I raise my eyebrow, putting a hand on my hip. I'm about to tell her I have a meeting soon but she cuts me hastily.

"I'm aware this sounds completely ridiculous but this place...it has a personality of its own. It's the people who came here daily, the stories and experiences they bring and share everyday that make it..."

I would normally scoff at such a cheesy speech but Naomi seems so genuine I only keep staring at her, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"I'm going to be waiting for your call." I state after a few seconds, ready to leave once more but Naomi takes a step towards me, wide eyes pleading.

"Work here!"

I arch up an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden outburst. "Pardon me?"

"Work here, only for a couple of days, or a week..." She resumes the fidgeting with her bangles. "Just to get a feel of the place...To realize what really makes this restaurant special to me and plenty of others and...if you're not convinced after that week, I'll accept your offer. You'll get paid, of course..."Naomi adds hurriedly, biting her bottom lip.

I can see a slight glint of hope and determination in her eyes as she stares at me, clearly waiting for my answer.

I'm about to refuse, finding the idea utterly preposterous, but another small twitch in my chest makes me blurt out a completely unexpected answer.

"Fine. I'll do it."

A bright, relieved smile blossoms on Naomi's face as she tucks the rebel strand of hair behind her ear again.

"Thank you miss Fitch, I-"

"I have to go now." I interrupt her a bit bluntly, angry at myself for accepting such a ridiculous proposition. "Do we have a deal?"

Naomi nods, blue orbs wide and back to their usual shiny state. "Yes, yes we do."

I quickly shake her outstretched hand but she holds mine longer than necessary, our gazes meeting.

"Thank you for giving me a chance." Her smile is so genuine I can't help but give her a small smile back.

When I'm finally out on the streets, wondering how in bloody hell I'm going to explain the absolutely careless deal I just got myself into to Freddie, I suddenly realize what that weird feeling in my chest was all about.

_Guilt._

And the odd thing is, it's something I've never felt whilst negotiating in a work context. I'm not being called a shark in this business for no reason.

I quickly shake it off though, bracing myself for a conversation with Freddie that's most likely going to be far from pleasant.

**Ok so now, the context is officially settled and the "real" story will finally be starting in the next chapter! Emily working at Naomi's restaurant...Man, I wonder what could possibly happen?... *smirks***

**Reviews are like sunshine! Yup, yup. True story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last update: July 13****th****. Well...*clears throat*...that's awkward.**

**I don't really have anything else to say other than life got in the way? I've been busy? Uni has been crazy and then it was summer and before I knew it, a whole new semester was starting again?**

**The only thing I'm certain I really, really want to say is that I'm sorry for this ridiculously long hiatus. Like, humongously sorry.**

**Truth is, lately, I've been cheating on Naomily with Brittana. (Wait up; awesome mental images coming my way. Just kidding you guys...Or am I?) So yeah. I've been struck by all the awesomeness that is lesbians in cheerleaders outfits. And trust me, it's kinda powerful.**

**But now, I'm back. Dun, dun, dun. (Me? Over dramatic?) I just felt the need to continue this story. I actually realized how much I missed writing. Plus, I kept receiving reviews from people urging me to stop being a lazy bitch or they would go all Lima Heights on me. Not their exact words. I just read between the lines.**

**ANYWAY. Here I am. Thanks to all of you that are still there and please, please, PWWEEEEASE, forgive me? A second chance would make my day. Hell, it would make my whole month. A hug too but eh, I won't push my luck. (I bet you really just want to slap me. Which is understandable. I earned it.)**

**For the new readers well, welcome m'dears!**

**Ok, here goes nothing. Let this story begins...again.**

I wake up with a start, the sound of my Blackberry lightly vibrating on my bedside table pulling me out from another night of restless sleep. Apparently, the new meds are not doing a better job than the ones before. _Great._

Sighing, I take off my silky sleep mask, carelessly throwing it aside as I get out of bed. Immediately, Karenina appears at my feet, purring loudly as she looks at me with her big brown eyes, clearly indicating me that it's time for her breakfast.

I chuckle, scooping her up into my arms and head towards the kitchen, grabbing my Blackberry on my way out.

"Jesus, someone's getting heavy..." I mumble, earning a somewhat disapproving look from Karenina.

After I've given her her food, I sit on one of the stools at the kitchen island, checking my messages as I wait for my cappuccino to be ready.

It's a beautiful day and with my ceiling to floor windows, I love how I get all the morning sun. It fills the apartment with something that's not stainless steel or cream coloured couches. Even if it's just light.

I scroll down the small screen; nothing interesting except a couple of e-mails from Richard and Freddie. Needless to say the later hasn't been particularly pleased with my decision to work for a week at The Bengal Tiger but as usual, with a little bit of carefully placed arguments and a lot of cleavage showing and hand touching, I succeeded in making my point.

What point exactly? I honestly don't know. Fuck knows why I said yes to Campbell's ridiculous proposition but for now, I might as well go with it.

I stretch my arms up in the air, yawning.

She told me she wanted me at the restaurant at nine which leaves me one hour to get ready and find a cab to get me to practically the other side of the island.

After a hot shower, I settle on a pair of skinny jeans and an old deep blue cashmere, putting my hair in a high ponytail. I have no clue on how to dress to work in a restaurant but I figure this we'll do.

I put on my leather jacket and a big grey pashmina around my neck, dropping a quick kiss to Karenina's head as I make my way out of the apartment.

"Miss Fitch?

I turn around only to come face to face with a middle-aged woman, uncertain smile floating on her lips.

I eye her, bitch face firmly in place. It's usually my default reaction to new people. "And you are?"

"I'm the new maid..." She trails off, apparently intimidated by my attitude.

"Oh yes. Well, don't break anything and we'll stay on good terms."

She nods quickly and I give her a pointed look before making my way to the elevator.

_Let another day begin._

When I exit the building, the cold wind hits my face and I tighten my jacket around me, thankful I can grab a cab and won't have to walk.

Just as the previous times I've been here, The Bengal Tiger is empty when I enter and still, a delicious smell is floating around the place.

This time though, I don't even have time to take off my jacket before Naomi comes out of the kitchen, the faint sound of music briefly seeping through the opened doors.

She's sporting a black t-shirt with the same ripped jeans I've already seen her with, along with a red apron tied around her hips and her apparently eternal bangles. Her tattoos are on full display; I can discern what looks like a tree and something colourful on her biceps before I bring my eyes back to her face.

Her blond hair is loose, fringe braided and pinned to the side of her head.

"Right on time!" Naomi smiles when she sees me; her oddly disarming, bright smile. "Ready for your first day?"

I'm slightly taken aback by her casual, almost friendly tone. I was admittedly expecting a bit more nervousness seeing I'm after all here to decide whether or not she's going to keep her restaurant.

I give her a stiff smile in return. "Well, as ready as I can be under the current circumstances."

Naomi doesn't seem unfazed by the implied meaning of my answer and instead, she takes a slight step towards me. "You might want to take off your jacket before we start though; the kitchen tends to get unhealthily hot during lunch time rush."

I nod and start to take it off but before I know it, Naomi is behind me, gently helping me out of my jacket.

"There you go miss Fitch." I hear her say playfully as she comes back in front of me, neatly folding the jacket over her arm.

"Thanks..." I frown, certainly not used to these kinds of attentions. "Shit, wait." I mumble, retrieving my Blackberry from my coat and hastily putting it in one of my jeans' back pocket.

Naomi looks at me then, an uncertain look on her face. "I'm afraid employees are not allowed to have their cell phones or any other electronic devices with them during work hours..." She trails off, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I need my phone." I reply bluntly, putting a protective hand over my pocket. I must look like a wild animal protecting its baby.

It's a thing Richard, amongst many other people, including past boyfriends, have been reproaching me- how I always just _have_ to have my Blackberry with me. At all time. And as much as I keep telling them I have to be constantly updated on the different projects I'm working on, and that really it's just legitimate, they all came to the conclusion that I was a heartless workaholic.

_Nonsense._

Naomi lets out a throaty giggle, looking positively amused. "I think you'll survive Emily. I don't even have a cell phone myself and see", she gestures towards herself, "I'm still alive."

"But I've got people counting on me, clients to talk to..." I try, crossing my arms in front of my chest and giving her my best scowl.

Naomi chuckles again. "As good as I'm sure you are, I'm also fairly certain the world will manage to survive without you for the afternoon."

I sigh, quickly texting Freddie before I carefully hand her my phone. "I don't know how you can live without one though."

"When I have to talk to the people I care about, I just do it in person. It's much more satisfying this way...You should try it some time." She winks, smiling. "Now I'll just go put your jacket in the employee's room and then I'll give you the grand tour. You can go check the kitchen if you want, I won't be long."

With that, Naomi disappears behind a bright orange door and I push the kitchen's purple ones, immediately assaulted by a myriad of different smells and perfumes.

The mix of them all is rather overwhelming but enjoyable nonetheless.

I take a look around, taking in the small albeit very clean kitchen, the wooden counters, the knives and pots hanging from the low ceiling, the three huge refrigerators, one orange, one blue and one green, and all the other utensils and plates neatly stored all around the room.

The thing that almost immediately catches my attention though is a big square shaped piece of wood, placed at the end of one of the counters and pierced with many holes. Each of these holes holds a cylindrical glass container.

After taking a few steps closer to it, I notice that each container seems to be filled with a different kind of spice.

Curious, I grab one.

_Cinammon- Bristol_, I read in curvy handwriting on a white sticker and I smile, the distinct smell of cinnamon instantly filling my nostrils. I check another one; _Pink Pepper- Casablanca_.

Before I have time to dwell on what the city names might mean, a soft voice fills the quiet kitchen.

"Did you know that the olfactory memory is the one that lasts the longest?" I spin around, nearly dropping the small container before I meet Naomi's blue eyes. She's leaning against one of the counters, hair now up in a very messy ponytail, and I'm surprised I didn't even hear her come in.

"No...no, I didn't know that." I reply, carefully putting the cinnamon back into place. "I love what you did with the spices by the way."

Naomi grins, seeming pleased by the compliment. "All of them remind me of somewhere I've been to or of people I once met, even though some of them are not in my life anymore. I love to just walk in the street and catch a random smell- more than often, it brings back unexpected memories... It's oddly refreshing."

"I see what you mean."

Our gazes meet and she grins. I'm the first to break eye contact, something I usually never do, but I've never met someone with such...intensity before.

"Why Bristol though? On the cinnamon one?" I ask, genuinely intrigued. Instantly, I notice the dark shadow ghosting over Naomi's features; she bites her bottom lip, gazing towards the floor. "You don't have to tell me." I add, feeling like I somehow crossed a personal line.

She shakes her head. "Oh, no. It's fine. England, well, Bristol is actually where I'm from...as you can probably tell by the not so-subtle accent." Naomi adds, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

This doesn't exactly answer my question but I decide to not push it. For now. Instead, I nod, plastering a cocky grin on my face. "I indeed had the feeling it didn't particularly sound like a Brooklyn accent."

"Wow, you're very observant."

We both giggle.

After a few moments of silence, Naomi clears her throat. When I look up, she seems uncertain, almost hesitant.

"Emily, I know that you didn't exactly... choose to work here...", she bites her bottom lip again, slightly furrowing her eyebrows, "but honestly...thank you for giving me a chance. I'm incredibly grateful for it."

I shift uncomfortably, never knowing how to react when other people's feelings are so blatantly on display. More than often, I just keep mine to myself and deal with them in private. I don't get the need people have to absolutely talk about them.

"...sure."

Naomi's eyes become a bit brighter, if possible, and she enthusiastically claps her hands together.

"Ready to meet the others then?"

OOOOOO

It turns out The Bengal Tiger has a grand total of five permanent employees, including Naomi.

I had already met Cook but today, I met Thomas, JJ and Lara as well.

Lara and JJ have been together for five years and have two sons, Albert and Jeremy, albeit as JJ told me several times, Albert is not his biological son. And then, he launched himself in a very detailed explanation on how biological babies are made before Lara put a comforting hand on his arm, smiling sweetly. That shut him up immediately.

As of Thomas, Naomi met him during a trip she made in France a couple of years ago and when Thomas moved to New York, Naomi welcomed him to work at the restaurant with her as her _sous-chef_.

At first, Naomi put me as a waitress with Lara and Cook but my obvious lack of skills for the task at hand prompted Naomi to bring me back in the kitchen with Thomas and her.

Naomi lets out a throaty laugh, handing me a towel to wipe off the remaining soup on my arms.

"That was quite a show you gave us here."

I glare at her, the same trademark one I gave the poor maid earlier this morning, grabbing the towel. "That jerk was in my way." I eye the stain on my shirt with barely contained anger. It's kind of an old shirt but still. "Fucking hell, it's fucking cashmere. Ralph Lauren, if I may add. I swear I will give this asshole a piece of my mind." I growl, ready to make my way out of the kitchen before a warm hand grab my wrist, keeping me in place.

"It's just a shirt Emily." Naomi shakes her head, still chuckling quietly to herself. "Guess I have no choice but keep you in here with me then. Shame." Amusement flickers in her eyes.

"Awesome." I reply sarcastically, before blowing on my shirt in a pathetic attempt to dry it.

_Fuck it. It's not like I can't afford another one._

Naomi ignores my reply and instead, hands me a hairnet. "I'm afraid you're going to have to wear that in order to cook with me though."

I bring my gaze up, scoffing disbelievingly when I notice the net. "I'm not wearing that."

"It's not that bad."

"How come you're not wearing one?" I reply childishly, gesturing towards her ponytail.

Naomi giggles. "Ha, well, it's because I'm the chef Emily... But I'll just put one on if that is what's bothering you."

She grabs another one from an opened drawer and puts in on her head before striking a ridiculous pose, hands on her hips. Thomas looks up from the chicken he's currently preparing.

"You're looking quite posh _ma chère._"

"Oh, _merci_ Thomas." Naomi replies, keeping her eyes on me as I can't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Fine, just give me that horrible thing." I huff, carefully putting the net on my hair but despite all my efforts, it catches in one of my earrings. "Fucking hell."

A faint scent of coconut invades my personal space and when I look up, I find Naomi's big blue eyes much closer than they were just a second ago. "Here, let me help you."

Naomi brings her hands up, starting to softly tug on the net. We're so close my eyes are instantly drawn to her face and I notice the look of concentration she's sporting, her tongue slightly peaking out between her parted lips.

"There you go." Naomi whispers, tucking a last strand of my hair under the net.

I self consciously touch my head. "I probably look awful..."

"You don't." Naomi replies, her cheeks tainting a light shade of pink but before I can add anything else, she turns around, clearing her throat. "Now that we're all set, let's get down to business. Emily, you'll start with the tomatoes."

I nod, watching as Naomi takes out a bag of tomatoes out of one of the fridges.

She puts it on the counter before taking one of them, squeezing it lightly whilst she smells, eyes closed, as if it was some kind of precious object instead of a simple vegetable.

"Great, those tomatoes are perfect. Come here Emily, you're going to want to smell them."

She motions for me to come closer, handing me a tomato, her face holding an expectant look.

I raise an eyebrow. "I'm not to _smell_ a tomato."

She smiles, almost as if she was expecting my reply, her blue orbs twinkling. "Don't think about that. Just close your eyes and smell it. We tend to forget that great meals come from carefully chosen ingredients."

I'm about to protest again but Naomi shakes her head. "Trust me."

I sigh, reluctantly doing as I'm told.

"Do you smell it?" Naomi asks after a moment and I nod, rather surprised.

The smell is light, sweet. Warm.

"I do, actually... It's incredibly...fresh. As if I'm walking in a... garden..." I whisper, forgetting for a second my initial resistance.

When I open my eyes again, I feel a blush creeping up my neck at how incredibly lame this probably sounded.

_Jesus, what was that?_

Instead of laughing at me, Naomi simply takes back the tomato, our fingers slightly brushing. "I told you the smell was gorgeous."

She winks. Behind her, I can see Thomas stifling a knowing smile.

OOOOOO

"See you tomorrow Blondie!" Cook shouts as he gets out of the restaurant at the end of the day, "and you too Red! It's fucking ace working with you!"

Naomi giggles as we both watch him leave. "He'll never change..."

"Is he always this...exuberant?" I ask, putting on my jacket as Naomi does the same.

"That's an interesting choice of words."We botch chuckle, Naomi eyeing me with an amused look. "But yes, he's always like this. After a while, you'll find that's actually what makes his charm."

"I seriously doubt that..."

"Just give him a chance and you'll see."

I avidly check my phone that Naomi just gave me back before putting it back in my pocket. "I seem to be giving a lot of that lately." I reply without really thinking, only noticing after a few seconds the extremely embarrassed look now plastered on Naomi's face.

"I know and once more...I...Thank you for that..." She stutters out, instantly making me feel guilty.

"Stop thanking me Naomi. I've had a great time today." I try to give her a sincere smile, hoping to let her know I'm actually, and very surprisingly, telling the truth.

She instantly lightens up. "I'm glad you did."

Naomi gestures for me to come out of the restaurant, opening the door for me before she follows, locking it behind us.

Just like this morning, the night air is chilly and I shiver, looking around me to find a taxi but to no avail- the street is completely empty.

_Damn it._

I look at Naomi who's blowing in her hands, her blonde hair even messier because of the wind. She's sporting a worn out kaki coat with a black hoodie under it and I wonder how much she actually earns with The Bengal Tiger.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I give her a brief nod before turning on my heels, deciding on avoiding the awkward exchange of goodbyes that would have inevitably followed.

I've only made a few paces before I hear Naomi's voice behind me.

"Where are you going Emily?"

I turn back around to face her. "I need to find a taxi so..." I trail off, vaguely pointing towards the end of the street.

Naomi furrows her brows, concern clear on her face. "You can't walk in this neighbourhood alone at night. It's not safe. Let me walk you to a busier street."

I shake my head. "No, no, I'm fine. You really don't have to."

She smiles, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "But I want to."

I finally give in and even though I'd never admit it in a million years, I feel a bit safer with Naomi walking silently by my side, her huge bag hanging loosely on her shoulder.

I chance a look in her direction; the tip of her nose is pink and small puffs of white breath are coming out of her mouth. She's actually very pretty I notice absentmindedly before bringing my gaze back in front of me.

When I finally get hold of a taxi, it stops in front of us and once more, Naomi opens the door for me.

"My duty here is done." She readjusts her bag on her shoulder, beaming. "Be safe Emily."

I grin back. "Thank you Naomi. You too."

She shuts the door, gesturing to the driver that we're ready to go but just as he's about to start, I roll down my window and this time, it's my turn to call out for Naomi.

She turns around, looking surprised. "Yes?"

"How are you going back home? Do you want us to share the ride?"

She shakes her head, showing me a little card as she starts to walk backwards. "I've got my subway pass. Cheaper."

"Ok well...be safe..." I trail off, watching as Naomi flashes me one last smile before turning around and starting to walk down the street.

I roll up the window, indicating to the driver I'm now ready to go, wondering for a brief moment where that sudden concern for Naomi's safety came from.

Quickly dismissing those thoughts with a shrug, I pick up my Blackberry, starting to scroll through the messages I got during the day.

**Well, well, well. I'm getting back into it so clearly not the best chapter. Once again, so, so sorry about that.**

**Maybe you could...I don't know, lets' say... review? *hopeful eyes* If not, I'm just glad some people are still reading this. And I'm glad to be back- I really missed you, you silly bitches! This calls for a collective hug. Or just me creeping up on you to hug you by surprise. I'm sneaky like that.**

**A big bucket of love to all of you! Half-filled with Halloween candies! Nom nom.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo! **

**Dear Lord, A BILLION TONS OF THANK YOU'S (pun intended, duh) to all of you for the amazing reviews! I'm super excited to see you all seem still into it! Awesome, we'll have a great time together, I promise.**

**Oh, and expect another update by Thursday. Yeah, I'm just THAT inspired.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skins. Surprise.**

"So how's The Bengal Tiger? Enjoying the glamorous life of a waitress?" Effy asks through raged breaths as we jog across Central Park, and I can practically see her legendary cynicism seeping through every words.

"Well, it's actually not that bad." I reply absentmindedly, thinking of the day I spent in the kitchen with Naomi and Thomas.

Effy practically stops and I give her a questioning look before she starts at a normal pace again. "That's something I never thought I'd hear." She says after a moment, giving me a sideway glance.

"I didn't say I _liked_ it, don't get me wrong. It's just bearable for the moment. Ask me how I feel about it at the end of the week and we'll see."

Effy lets out a small chuckle. "That's more like it."

We stay in silence for a few minutes. Central Park is practically empty this early in the morning and I let myself enjoy the calm that can rarely be found in a city like New York.

"How are things with Freddie?" I finally ask Effy. Their relationship has been quite tumultuous to say the least and it's been a while since I got an update on their whole saga.

Effy visibly stiffens. "Let's not go there. So Ems, big date tonight?"

Typical Effy. Firing me back a question just to get the spotlight away from her. Oh well. It's not like I'm ever going to shy away from said spotlight.

"Yes, with this guy who lives in my building."

"Details?"

"Lawyer, twenty-seven, just arrived in New York from LA and on his way to become one of the youngest associate at his firm."

Effy whistles. "Fuck, that's impressive Fitch. Tired of the old Richard already?"

I smirk. "I'm keeping Richard on the side. He's my candy store."

This time, she lets out a loud laugh. "You're horrible, you know that, right?"

"I love you too." I give her a playful shove. "Now come on Stonem, one would think you're a fucking turtle."

OOOOOO

Lather this morning, when I get out of the cab in front of The Bengal Tiger, I find a pile of fairly big boxes in front of the restaurant.

I push the Ray-Bans I'm wearing on top of my head and make my way inside the restaurant, the main door being currently held open by an old shoe.

"Is there anyone?" I call out, peaking through the round kitchen's door windows but no one's to be seen.

"Christ." I furrow my eyebrows; the muffled curse came from behind the orange door, the one Naomi said was the employees' room.

Taking the few steps towards it, I push the door only to reveal Naomi, kneeling on the floor as she tries to lift a box similar to the ones I've seen outside.

Her cheeks are pink and I can see her huff exasperatedly as the box falls back on the floor with a loud thud. "Oh come on!" Naomi practically glares at the offending object and I can't help but let out a small chuckle.

"What the-"

She whips her head around and I give her a small wave, grinning cockily as I lean my hip against the doorframe.

"Am I interrupting something?" I ask playfully, gesturing towards the box.

Naomi smiles, shaking her head. "Well, if you must know, I've been trying to lift this box and the ones you've probably seen outside for the past half hour but it's not particularly successful so far." She finishes her little rant with a slight pout.

"Need a hand?" I'm already there aren't I?

Her face lights up. "That would be great Emily. Thank you."

I nod and start to make my way back outside, dropping my purse on one of the nearest tables, Naomi following behind.

"What's in those boxes anyway?" I ask her as we both grab the opposite sides of one of them.

Naomi counts to three before we lift the box. She groans whilst a cracking sound comes from the general area of my back. "Jesus, they're so bloody heavy-"

"-fuck, tell me about it-" I mumble through gritted teeth.

"-and to answer your question, they're chairs I ordered from a shop downtown."

I'm the one who's walking backwards and before I know it, I hit something hard and nearly topple to the ground.

"Shit!" I hiss out angrily.

Naomi giggles, blue eyes twinkling with undisguised amusement. "You bumped into a table Emily- just move a bit to the left."

I take a sideway step and go to resume walking but I hit the same thing again. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

When I look up, Naomi's laughing even harder than before. "I meant the _other _left." She manages to say through short breaths and her smile is so contagious I feel one creeping on my lips as well.

"Oh, shut up."

Another throaty giggle escapes her throat. "I think I'm going to drop this stupid box soon."

"Campbell, don't you dare drop it on my feet."

"Then stop making me laugh!"

It's my turn to giggle at how ridiculous the situation is- we've been stalling on the same spot for the past five minutes, and the box isn't getting any lighter. "I'm not even doing anything!"

Finally, we manage to bring it to the employees' room and unceremoniously drop it on top of the one already there.

"That was presumptuous to think I would be able to do this alone." Naomi brushes away a few strands of hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

I nod in agreement, stretching and twisting my back. "Why the chairs?"

"The ones we have are getting quite old and I saw this deal last week so I decided to go for it. The restaurant has been doing pretty well in the past months so I figured buying new chairs wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Yeah, well, they certainly hurt me." I mumble, rubbing a sore spot on my shoulder.

Naomi chuckles and for a split second, I feel oddly proud of myself.

"What's so funny ladies?"

We both turn around to find Cook standing in the doorway, cigarette in hand, cocky smile firmly into place.

"Cook, how many times have I told you not to smoke inside?" Naomi gives him a pointed look but he only shrugs, tucking it behind his ear.

"Relax Naomikins. I didn't even light it." He gives her one of his boyish grin. "What's up with the boxes up front?" Cook asks after a beat, pointing behind him with his thumb.

Naomi goes to explain everything but I walk over to Cook, slightly running my fingers on his upper arm. "Cook, I know how strong you are so would you mind helping us? Please?" I give him my best flirtatious look as he puffs out his chest.

_Men are incredibly predictable._

I start to lead a completely oblivious Cook outside before I slightly turn around to wink at Naomi who's shaking her head, clearly amused as she gives me a thumbs-up.

OOOOOO

Just like yesterday, I'm the only one left at the restaurant with Naomi when the last client leaves, a little after eight.

An old song I can't recognize is coming from the beat-up radio in the corner of the kitchen; Naomi's quietly humming to herself, cleaning the counter with a wet towel as I'm putting away plates on one of the shelves.

Oddly enough, the silence between us is comfortable.

After a couple of minutes, I hear Naomi moving behind me before she appears at my side, towel hanging on one of her shoulders. The water leaves darker spots on her grey cardigan but she doesn't seem to care.

Instead, she just smiles when our eyes meet and gently grabs the plate I was about to store, starting to help me. "So Emily, any plans on that wild Tuesday night?"

I hand her another plate, chuckling at how she comically stretched the word "wild". "I have a date actually."

"Oh." Naomi pushes some hair away from her face, giving me a sideway glance. "Who's that lucky person?"

I shrug. "Just a guy that lives in my building. We kept meeting in the elevator and last week, I guess he finally found his balls and asked me out." Our eyes meet and I smirk. "It can hardly qualify as wild though- it's most likely going to be a couple of drinks in a bar, him telling me how good of a lawyer he is, me nodding while wondering if I left enough food for the cat."

There's a moment of silence and when Naomi doesn't grab the other plate I'm handing to her, I look up only to find her facing me with furrowed eyebrows, the previous plate still in hands.

"What?" I shoot her a confused stare.

She bites her bottom lip, twirling the plate in her hands. "It's just that this description of a date doesn't sound particularly appealing to me."

"Sorry about that." I reply with sarcasm, an instant defence mechanism, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

Her eyes widen a bit at my harsh tone and she shakes her head. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just wondering why you're going if you already know you won't like it." Naomi's blue eyes are full of nothing but genuine kindness and I sigh, shrugging again.

"I don't know. I guess that as pathetic as it might sound I'm...waiting for the right one? Whoever that may be." I add with a small laugh, trying to ease up the conversation. This is becoming way too personal.

Naomi nods, her lips curving upwards. "I know what you mean."

"So what would be a date that _would_ sound appealing to you?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow after a few seconds, repeating her words from earlier. We don't know each other that well and it's probably a weird thing to ask but fuck it; I'm too curious.

She seems surprised by the question and for a moment, the kitchen is silent as Naomi appears deep in thoughts. "Very...romantic I guess." Her voice is uncertain when she starts to speak again. "With great food, maybe candles. Somewhere private, definitely _not_ a restaurant." She chuckles, eyes glued on something above my right shoulder. "Where we'd get to talk properly about what we love in life, what inspires us. And books. We definitely have to talk about books."

I smile; it really does sound good. "The guy you'll meet has to be prepared for one hell of a date then."

Naomi looks up, a light blush covering her cheeks and she laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I've clearly watched too many romantic comedies."

She blushes even more and it's just so damn... _adorable._

The word pops into my head without warning, my eyes practically widening in surprise but before I have time to dwell on it, Naomi moves towards the kitchen's door, opening it for me with a smile. "I don't want to make you late by keeping you here with me. It's way past your shift hours anyway."

I shake my head in order to get my thoughts into place. "I'd better go."

Once out of the kitchen, I start to put on my coat but stop when I see Naomi's just leaning against the wall, watching me, hands in her pockets. "You're not leaving too?"

"Not yet." I give her a questioning look. "The chairs I bought came in separate pieces so I have to put them together and paint them for tomorrow morning. Cook's friend came earlier when you were in the kitchen with Thomas and took all the old chairs so...", she gestures towards the dining area and I notice just then that there are indeed no more chairs, "I bet the clients will appreciate something to sit on tomorrow. I hear it's a very popular concept."

I giggle, wrapping my scarf around my neck. "You have a point".

Whilst trying to retrieve my phone out of my oversized purse, I realize something. My head snaps up to meet Naomi's eyes. "Wait, you're going to do this alone?"

She smiles softly, shrugging. "It's not that bad. Plus, I don't have anywhere else to be so..."

"Still, I wish someone could be here to help you." I would normally not care, it's her bloody restaurant after all, but somehow the idea of Naomi doing all the work by herself makes me feel uneasy.

She takes a step forward to put her hands on my shoulders. "I'm going to be just fine Emily. I swear. So now", she turns me around, gently guiding me towards the door, "go and impress that lucky gentleman."

I hold my hands up in playful surrender, turning my face to look at her. "Ok, ok. See you tomorrow Naomi."

I hail a cab that's miraculously passing in the street.

She grins, hands back in her jeans pockets as she watches me hop into the backseat. "See you tomorrow Emily."

OOOOOO

I sigh as I hurriedly get out of the overly crowded bar and into the dark night, heels clicking on the pavement.

Everything turned out as I predicted- the guy was a total jerk and I actually think I _didn't_ give Karenina enough food.

At least I got a couple of free martinis out of it.

I pull at the hem of my admittedly very short black dress and tighten my jacket around my body, trying to gather some warmth as I feel a gush of wind hitting my nylons covered legs.

A couple is sloppily kissing by the entrance and faraway, I can hear the wailing of a siren.

I open my purse, trying to find my pack of cigarettes and one of the many lighters I usually carry around. I don't smoke a lot, only on particular occasions; this umpteenth failed date is definitely one of them.

Of course, the three lighters I manage to grab are not functioning.

_Come on._

I sigh exasperatedly, looking all around me in a vain attempt to find someone with a decent lighter.

My eyes land on the street's name and it takes me a few seconds to register that I'm actually not very far from The Bengal Tiger. Maybe two blocks away, three tops.

I take a look at my phone. _10.37._

_I wonder if Naomi's still there. _I shake my head. _Probably not._ I turn around, looking at the entrance of the bar before turning back on my heels again.

_Fuck it, _I think, decidedly heading to the end of the street. _I don't feel like being alone just yet._

After a good twenty minutes walk, much more than I had anticipated, I arrive in front of The Bengal Tiger, completely frozen.

I notice with a sigh of relief that the lights inside are still on, and when I take a step closer to the window, I can see twenty new chairs perfectly lined against one of the walls but no sign of Naomi.

After a moment where I'm left wondering what the hell I am supposed to do now and what in God's name made me come here in the first place, Naomi comes out of the kitchen, holding a beer. She has her hair up in a bun, only sporting a black wife beater and jeans. I notice with a small smile that she's also barefoot.

Once again, my eyes are drawn to her colourful sleeve tattoo. It really suits her beautifully.

Another gush of wind reminds me I'm still standing outside, effectively making me look like a total creep so I swiftly knock on the door, watching as Naomi looks up, frowning.

I wave, hoping she'll see me; she squints a bit before a bright smile lightens up her face as she practically jogs to the door.

"Emily! What are you doing here?"

I ignore her, desperate to seek any shred of warmth as I hurriedly make my way inside.

"Fucking hell, when did New York get so freezing?" I mutter, blowing in my hands and I hear Naomi laugh behind me as she shuts the door.

"Come here."

She must sense my hesitation because she just motions to me with her arms open, her eyes twinkling. "You look positively cold, so just come here."

When I get close enough for her to touch me, Naomi brings her hands on the sides of my arms and starts rubbing up and down, instantly making me feel better.

Still, I shiver involuntarily again before meeting Naomi's concerned eyes.

She grabs something on a table nearby and hands it to me. "Here, put this on. This dress is beautiful but not particularly appropriate for the season." She finishes with a pointed look to my practically bare legs and fancy pumps before flashing me a playful grin.

I stick out my tongue, taking off my jacket before slipping into the same cardigan she was wearing today.

It's warm, and soft and smells nice, like coconut and... something else I can't quite identify.

Naomi watches me as I wrap the too-long sleeves in a fist to cover my cold hands.

"So, Emily... again, why are you here?" She asks after a beat, her tone curious and not at all reproaching but somehow, I feel embarrassed.

"Well, the date went just as planned..." I chuckle but it comes out more bitter than I intended it to. "And when I got out of the bar I just figured I could come by and see if you needed some help." I finish lamely, biting my bottom lip.

_I just really didn't feel like going back to my big, empty apartment just now._

Naomi must sense my discomfort because she just gives me a soft smile. "Actually, I _do_ need some help."

I gesture towards the new chairs. "This doesn't look like it."

"On the contrary, you're here just in time for the funniest part."

I give her an intrigued look but she simply raises an eyebrow, grinning. "Those chairs won't paint themselves you know."

I chuckle. "Oh God. I have to tell you I suck at painting though. I helped my sister for her apartment and she ended up kicking me out to go get pizzas for everyone. And made me pay, the cow."

"Your sister sounds positively lovely." Naomi replies, handing me a brush.

"You have no idea." She giggles and I feel this weird little flicker of pride again. Ignoring it, I put my free hand on my hip. "So, what's the plan?"

Naomi gives me a can of bright orange paint and grabs the yellow one for herself.

"Let's just get started and see how this goes." She sits on the floor in front of one of the chairs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and when I don't sit beside her she brings her gaze up, her eyes holding an expectant look.

"Painting and my new Vuitton dress might not be the best idea though..." I trail off, smoothing out an invisible wrinkle on my perfectly fitted dress before bringing my eyes to Naomi, taking in her old jeans, the way she messily pinned some hair on top of her head, how she's simply sitting cross-legged on the floor, her blue orbs reflecting the streetlights from outside, and I feel suddenly a bit ridiculous for caring so much about a dress.

"Oh well, fuck it."I feel strangely light-headed then when Naomi flashes me a dazzling smile but I just take off my shoes, rolling the cardigan's sleeves before putting my hair in a ponytail. "Let's paint those bitches."

Naomi lets out a throaty laugh before dipping her brush in the fresh paint. "Eloquently said Emily."

We paint in silence for a few minutes before I feel Naomi watching me. When I turn my head to face her, she's eyeing something on the side of my face.

"What?"

Naomi just grins goofily. "You have some paint in your hair Emily and I'm really wondering how it got there."

"Shit really?" I ask with a slightly panicked voice, bringing my hand up. "The pain will ruin my color."

Naomi brings her hand up, and I feel her hand gently running though my hair before she takes it away, wiping it on her jeans. It leaves a small spot of orange on the washed out blue.

"There you go."

She winks, her big blue eyes sparkling before she resumes her painting.

For an unknown reason, my heart is beating a bit faster as I tuck the same strand of hair behind my ear.

"I could have sworn this was your real color though. It's just so natural." Naomi mumbles with a smile, eyes strained on the back of the chair she's currently covering in yellow.

"And you think you're fooling us with your peroxide blond thing?" I reply in the same tone, casting her a sideway glance.

She laughs. "Touché." Then, after a beat, "I'm glad you came to help me. That's very sweet of you."

I feel my cheeks heating up at the unexpected compliment- people have called me lots of things but sweet has definitely never been one of them- and I avoid her eyes, focussing mine on one of the chairs' leg instead.

"I'm glad I came too."

**There. You. Go. **

**How was it? Good, bad, positively awful and you all just threw up a bit in your mouths?**

**As usual, I like taking things slow when it comes to developing a relationship between Emily and Naomi so I hope it's ok with y'all! Review if you feel like spreading the love. Kisses.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Holy bananaz! You guys! Thank you so, so, SO much for all the great and nice and funny reviews! *megawatt smile***

**I mean come on, someone even gave me lesbian cookies! Bet you're all jealous. I'm not totally sure how they would look like though. I just imagine them shaped as tits. But eh, that's just me.**

**Anyways, thanks! It means a lot to me. I wish I could answer to you all. And pepper your faces with kisses. You've been warned.**

**(This basically picks up where we left last chapter.)**

Last night, after I came back from painting the chairs, Naomi called and asked me if she could take me somewhere the next morning.

I said yes a bit too fast and gave her my address, so when she mentioned she would pick me up at four thirty, I didn't even have time to protest before she was hanging up, and I could practically hear the smile in her voice.

It's the reason why I'm now standing in my building's lobby, eyes puffy with the lack sleep even though I desperately tried to cover it with make-up. It looks so damn cold outside that I went for a thick peacock blue wool coat along with a fluffy grey scarf and black ankle boots.

I have no idea where she's taking me and to be honest, I'd rather be in the comfort of my apartment, but I figure this outfit will do.

_If not, well, fuck it._

I'm distractedly twirling my phone in my hands, slowly dozing off, when Naomi appears from behind a building, looking a bit hesitant as she's clearly searching for the right address.

She's sporting the same worn-out khaki coat I've already seen her with along with a pair of dark jeans tucked in old black combat boots. As always, her blonde hair looks a bit messy but this time, it's half hidden under a black slouchy beanie.

I swiftly exit when I see her heading the wrong way.

"Naomi!"

She instantly turns around, flashing me a bright smile when she sees me making my way towards her.

"Hi." I greet her a bit awkwardly as we come face to face, stuffing my already cold hands in my coat's front pockets. _Damn it, I forgot the gloves._

"Hey you. I know it's indecently early, sorry about that." Naomi replies with an apologetic smile, slightly bouncing on the balls of her feet to warm up.

"It's fine, it's not like I sleep much anyway." I shrug as we start to walk side by side, our elbows brushing against one another from time to time.

"What do you mean?" I feel her eyes on me as we take a step aside to let a group of particularly motivated joggers pass us by before resuming our slow walking.

"That a good night sleep for me is four hours on my best days. That's actually kind of sad- twenty-six and I'm already addicted to pills."

I rub my hands together, inwardly cursing the cold as I wait for Naomi's answer. Usually, people just make a general comment about how it must be awful to not be able to sleep, or something achingly similar, and then quickly move on. No one wants to be too involved in someone else's shit.

"God, I almost forgot!"

I turn my head around, surprised by the unexpected reply, only to find Naomi holding a pair of bright purple gloves, grinning goofily.

"What are those?"

I think I see Naomi blush faintly, although I can't be sure because she's slightly facing away from me. She clears her throat.

"I...Well, it's just that I've noticed how you always seem to be rubbing your hands together when we're at the restaurant and, uh, how your hands are always a bit cool whenever you have to give me something and our hands brush together so I've brought you gloves because I knew it would be cold this morning and I didn't know if you'd think of bringing any...So, well...yeah." Naomi awkwardly finishes her rambling, fidgeting with the gloves as she keeps her gaze firmly on the ground.

The weird fluttering in the pit of my stomach almost makes me forget to walk as I bite my bottom lip, feeling my cheeks heating up a bit too.

No one has never really noticed before how I'm always cold. Not even Katie or Effy or any previous boyfriends. I'm only the girl who just always has to have a spare sweater. And there's Naomi, after only three days of knowing each other, bringing me freaking _gloves_ to make sure my hands are warm.

No one has ever been this thoughtful before so just because I can, I lock eyes with expectant and slightly worried blues ones, probably because I've been silent for a bit too long, and give her a huge smile, gently bumping our shoulders together.

"That's very sweet Naomi. Thank you."

As I grab the gloves, she returns my smile with one of her trademark ones, the one that inevitably seems to lighten up her pale face. For a split second, the tip of my fingers linger on the back of her hand and contrary to mine, it's incredibly warm.

"They're probably a bit too large though, I-"

I shake my head, smiling even more when I notice how the purple awfully clashes with the blue of my coat.

For once, I don't really care if my outfit isn't as irreproachable as it should be.

"They're a perfect fit. See?" I interrupt her, wriggling my fingers in front of her face. "My fingers are doing a happy dance to show you how grateful they are."

Naomi lets out a throaty giggle. "I feel weirdly honoured by that."

"You definitely should."

We both laugh, Naomi lightly resting a hand on my forearm.

"And Emily?"

"Yes?"

"Remind me to give you my secret recipe to improve insomnia." She winks, and it makes me feel oddly good just to know that she cares.

"I will."

After a few more minutes of walk we arrive to a subway station and I glance at Naomi, raising my eyebrow questioningly.

"What's with the eyebrow?" Naomi asks with an amused smile me as I reluctantly go down the stairs by her side.

"It's a 'what the fuck are we doing here' eyebrow."

I never really liked the subway- too much noise, too much promiscuity with complete, and more than often hygienically challenged, strangers.

She chuckles, motioning for me to follow her down an escalator to our right. "We're taking the subway, I thought this was pretty obvious by now."

"But.." I cross my arms in front of my chest, aware I sound painfully childish. "I don't like subways."

Naomi's already getting me a ticket from a man in a small booth, and before I know it, she's handing it to me, smiling.

"It's not that bad." She readjusts the beanie on her head, a strand of blonde hair escaping and falling on the side of her face as she does so. "I promise."

Before I have time to say anything else, a loud clinking from below announces the arrival of the subway.

Naomi's eyes widen. "Shit, let's go."

She grabs my wrist, and after quickly passing through the barriers, we both start to run down an apparently endless flight of stairs, entering the subway at the very first second, the doors almost shutting on one of my glove-covered hands.

The wagon is empty except for an old man sitting at the back, reading a newspaper.

Whilst trying to catch my breath, I look up only to find Naomi's eyes already on me, her cheeks pink and chest hefting.

"I love how you almost tripped down those stairs. That was very classy." Naomi says with a cheeky smile as I lean back against the door, trying to put some space between us when I realize how close we actually are.

"You were practically dragging me down those stairs. I hold you responsible for that."

I smile, letting her know I'm joking when the subway suddenly takes a turn right. Naomi loses her balance and stumbles directly on me, pushing me up even more against the door, hands on either side of my shoulders.

And then, it happens again. That odd fluttering in my stomach.

We both look up at the same time and I find myself staring back into Naomi's bright blue eyes, so close I absentmindedly notice how her irises are slightly darker on the outside. It's mesmerizing.

Before I even have time to register what I'm doing, I slowly bring my hand up to softly push a blonde lock out of Naomi's face.

Her breath hitches and it's all it takes for my hand to fall limply back at my side, what I just did suddenly dawning on me.

_What the fuck was that Fitch?_

I look away and Naomi gets the hint, taking a step backwards.

"...are we there yet?" I ask after a beat, desperate for any conversation topics. I straighten my coat before running a hand through my hair.

Naomi clears her throat, and out of the corner of my eyes, I can see that her neck is flushed.

"It's the next stop actually."

"Good." I give her a tight smile, deciding that acting as if nothing happened is the best way to go.

When we're back on the streets, I realize that Naomi still hasn't told me where we're going. It's still very early and I wonder what is actually open at this hour.

"So Campbell, where are you taking me? I'm starting to worry now."

Naomi just gives me a mysterious smile, raising one of her eyebrows, and I'm relieved to see there is no apparent awkwardness lingering. "Good things come to those who wait Emily."

It takes us a few more minutes before we arrive on the docks that border the city; I didn't even realize we had gotten so close to the water.

There are a couple of boats berthed there and on the docks, I can count at least thirty men unloading huge wooden boxes whilst talking to each other, or calling their names from one side of the pier to the other.

It's incredibly loud, their shouting almost covered by the seagulls flying above them and the sound of the boat's pulleys as the boxes are being lowered down on the ground.

All of this makes it also very lively as some of the men's laugh echo in the cold morning air, and I can't help to think this could be described as a friendly chaos.

"Here we are." Naomi says with a grin, motioning towards the docks. "I come here every Wednesdays to choose my fishes. It's hard to get good quality when it's for a small restaurant like The Bengal's but I started to come here a couple of months ago. Now I'm friends with most of the guys so they always let me pick what I want. You just have to wake up a bit earlier than usual."

I nod, watching intently as two men lift a particularly large box. "I didn't even know fishes arrived here...I mean, these are the docks so obviously, but I never saw it before."

"That's why I brought you. I figured introducing you to a typical week at the restaurant would surely include this Wednesday ritual. You ready?" Naomi finishes with an expectant smile, eyes twinkling in the slowly rising sun.

"Sure."

We head towards a small group of men engaged in what appears to be a heated discussion until one of them notices us.

"There you are Naoms! We thought you weren't coming- you're late." The man says in a tone of affectionate reproach, patting Naomi on the shoulder.

All the other men greet her and I can tell they really like her from the huge grins they're all now sporting.

"Come on Jerry, you all know I would never do this to you. I just had to pick up my friend Emily." Naomi replies as she gently puts a hand on my lower back to bring me into the circle they're now forming. A warm sensation seems to be spreading on the whole length of my back but I don't have time to dwell on it, all of their gazes shifting to look at me.

Instead, I stick out my hand, putting on my best professional face. It's really the only way I know how to deal with new people.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Emily Fitch."

A man with a grey beard just shakes his head, laughing. "You don't want to touch my hands, princess, you might not appreciate the smell."

I frown, crossing my arms in front of my chest as they all chuckle at the guy's comment. As I previously, I hate being made fun of.

"Ok Naoms, come with me, I've just received great stuff. And I can give you great prices for them."

Naomi nods and starts to follow the man, Jerry, but not before she slips her hand in mine when she sees I'm not moving, offering me an amused smile. "Let's go grumpy."

She tugs on my arm and all I can do is follow, too focussed on the tingling feeling in my fingers.

"So," Jerry starts, lifting the lid of one the wooden boxes, revealing rows of fishes in huge buckets of ice, making me cringe when the faint sea smell hits my nostrils, "check this out."

Naomi looks at me and then down at our still joined hands, smiling, and I realize with a blush that I'm the one still firmly holding on to hers.

_God, this is so embarrassing. _

I quickly let go, muttering an apology. Naomi only giggles softly before she starts to talk with Jerry, examining the merchandise.

I look around me, not really knowing what to do.

All the men went back to their work and not wanting to bother Naomi, I start to walk aimlessly between the rows of boxes, grateful for the morning sun now caressing my face.

I'm curiously checking inside the boxes when a movement catches my attention. Standing on the tip of my toes, I take a look inside to find a bunch of lobsters lazily moving against one another.

I distractedly watch how two of them are fighting with their claws, my mind drifting off to Naomi.

I've never met anyone else before that's so genuinely _caring_ and who sees life like she does.

It's actually destabilizing sometimes but I can't help but want to know more about her; about the trips she did, where she lived, who did she meet, what's the signification of her tattoo.

I smile, gently touching the back of one of the lobsters before he scurries off, apparently not liking the attention.

"What are you doing?" A soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I meet Naomi's blue eyes as she leans her elbows on the edge of the box. "Sorry for that, I had to talk with the guys for a while."

I shake my head, mirroring her position as we both stare down at the lobsters. "It's fine. As you can see, I've made new friends. We get along wonderfully."

I watch with a smile as Naomi chuckles. "Well, it's a fact that you both seem to enjoy the color red."

I nudge her in the ribs, feigning indignation but I can't really help the grin tugging at my lips when Naomi snorts loudly through her giggling. Somehow, she manages to make it sound cute. "I resent that. And shall change my hair color as soon as I get back home." I add, teasing her.

Naomi clutches at her heart, eyes widening theatrically. "You wouldn't dare!"

I try to stay serious but it's hard with the playful way Naomi's looking at me. "Try me."

"You look beautiful with red hair Emily. Changing that would be a sin, and I won't allow it."

"You don't look too bad yourself Campbell."

And honestly, there's no denying it. You'd have to be blind to not see it.

Naomi smiles brightly, cheeks turning pink as she suddenly grabs a lobster from the box.

"Have you ever held one?" She asks, eyeing me expectantly.

"Uh...no, never." Truth to be told, they scare the shit out of me.

"Then today is time to try Ems." I smile a bit at the new nickname, enjoying how effortlessly it slipped out of her mouth, before realizing that Naomi took a step forward, lobster still in hands. "Come on."

"I'm not going to hold a freaking lobster Naomi."

She pouts and I almost cave in before remembering I'm usually more stubborn than that.

"No way."

"Pleaseee?"

"Nop." I reply, popping the 'p'.

"Please, please, please?" She's batting her eyelashes, pout on full display as the lobster's slowly moving in her hand, completely oblivious to what's happening.

I shake my head no again, finding it increasingly difficult to not give in to her pleading, a smile already tugging at my lips.

Naomi takes another step forward, holding out the lobster's claw. "I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand..." She sings with a grin, and it's just so damn ridiculous I start to laugh, waving my hand in surrender.

"Fine, fine. Jesus, I'll hold the damn thing. Just stop singing."

Naomi's smile grows wider. "No one can resist The Beatles."

"I doubt they thought this would ever be interpreted by a lobster."

We both giggle, the sun reflecting on Naomi's hair and giving it a faint golden glow.

"Everything once."

Naomi hands me the lobster and I hesitate a slight second before grabbing it. "Fuck it. Go ahead and disappoint me."

The shell is cold and moist and I awkwardly hold it in my hands, Naomi trying to stifle a laugh.

"What?"

"I've never seen anyone look this uncomfortable." She replies, tucking a rebel lock of hair under her beanie. "Just relax. He's actually cute."

I scoff. "Are you shitting me? I'm sure he's just waiting for the right time to attack me."

Naomi chuckles again, shaking her head but as if on cue, the lobster nearly claws at one of my fingers and I squeal, letting out a string of curses.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." The lobster's twisting in my hands as I hold it as far as possible from me, eyes locking with Naomi who's now full on laughing. "Fucking hell, it's not funny! Get it off me!"

A few seconds later, Naomi grabs it before facing me again, eyes shining with undisguised amusement.

"That went well."

I glare at her, hand on my hip. "That lobster was fucking aggressive."

She giggles, eyeing the lobster who's now practically motionless in her hands. "Looks pretty calm to me."

"Whatever."

I look down, actually feeling rather embarrassed after my girly reaction.

"Come on." A soft finger tilts my chin up and once more, I find myself gazing into crystal blue orbs. "Let's put it back in before we leave."

We go back to the edge of the huge lobster box and Naomi gently puts it back. We watch as the lobster doesn't move for a while before he starts to make his way to a smaller lobster in the center of the box.

"Did you know that lobsters are believed to mate for life?" Naomi whispers, the two lobsters now rubbing their antennas together.

I raise my eyebrows. "Really? So these two lobsters are basically... soul mates?" I ask as I keep observing them. That theory is unbelievably adorable.

I can feel Naomi's eyes on me for a brief moment before she brings back her attention to the lobsters. "Yes, I believe they are."

We stay like that for a couple more minutes, the sun now much higher in the sky, still surrounded by the bustling of the docks before Naomi claps her hands, eyeing me with a smile.

"Let me buy you breakfast."

**Phew. The story's slowly but surely progressing.**

**I hope you all liked this one! I never thought I would write a lobster centered chapter but...guess I just did.**

**Next chapter is going to be the rest of their day. Also, Naomi's going to die. (KIDDING. Of course she won't.)**

**Love y'all m'ladies! Review if you have a minute! x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey ladies!**

**Wow, long time no see, uh? Well, if I have to be totally honest with you, it's not for lack of inspiration or ideas. On the contrary, the ideas for this fic keep flowing and I practically have the whole thing planned out in my head. The thing is though, I received kind of a sucky diagnosis in December. It's not like I'm gonna die or anything (let's not freak out) but I'm still waiting for results so I must admit it's been stressing me out a lot lately. And combined with the Holidays and my final exams, it pretty much explains me going AWOL for the last weeks.**

**So yeah. I hope you'll forgive mama for that. (End of the pity party. Yo.)**

**On a more gleeful note, happy New Year! Let's rock 2012! After all, planet Earth will like...explode on December 21st. True story. (Or you know...NOT.)**

**Let's get to the real stuff now.**

I sit in front of Naomi, the purple vinyl of the corner booth she chose for us creaking as I sit carefully, glancing suspiciously around.

The little restaurant really looks like we just made a jump back to the seventies.

Countless posters of Bob Marley, ABBA, Led Zeppelin and others I'm not really sure of are hanging on one of the walls whilst the rest of the restaurant is randomly decorated with colourful peace signs, pictures of Haight-Ashbury and what appears to be an autographed poster of Janis Joplin.

A tattooed girl is behind the counter, chatting animatedly with one of the cooks and I can hear "One Love" playing in the background.

After a moment of taking in my surroundings, I absentmindedly bring my gaze back to Naomi only to find her already looking at me, chin resting in her hand and elbow resting on the table, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"How do you like it?"

Normally, I would hate a place like this- it's absolutely not my scene, this whole underground-hippie thing. But somehow, with all the colours and the music and the gentle yet unexplainably nervous look Naomi's currently giving me, I can't help but grin.

"I guess it's kind of cool."

I'm rewarded with a bright smile, this annoying fluttering in my stomach kicking in full force.

Trying to distract myself from it, I grab my Blackberry and settle it next to my plate on the table. It's a habit I've contracted with time, to make sure I never miss anything coming from work. I even sleep with it on my bedside table.

Before I realize what's happening, Naomi grabs it, examining it with a look of curiosity.

"How do you take a picture?" She asks me after a moment, locking eyes with me.

"Hum..."I take it from her hand, touching a couple of icons on the screen before handing it back to her. "And then you tap the little camera sign."

She nods and I watch her, intrigued, as she turns my phone towards herself, pulling a funny face as she points an accusing finger towards the screen. I hear the click of the picture being taken before she gives it back to me, looking satisfied and slightly amused.

I let out a small laugh when I see her picture on my screen before looking up to meet her eyes. "What was that for?"

Naomi grins. "It's me telling you to stop using your Blackberry so much. As you can see, I tried to make a stern face."

This time, I laugh louder, soon joined by Naomi. "That turned out well..."

Still, I save the picture in my phone before turning it off.

Looking pleased, Naomi hands me a plastic covered menu, her warm fingers slightly brushing against my unsurprisingly cold ones.

"You can take a look but I have to share a secret with you first."

I smile when Naomi actually leans a bit over the table because honestly, that conspiracy look she's sporting is making her look like an adorable little kid.

I lean a bit too, Naomi's blue eyes eyeing me intently.

"What?"

"You should really, really order the pancakes."

I raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Those pancakes are amazing, Emily. I'm sharing one of my biggest secrets here. You should be grateful."

She seems dead serious for a second before she wriggles her eyebrows and leans back against the booth, biting her bottom lip and I can see she's trying not to laugh.

A throaty giggle escapes my mouth and before I know it, we're both laughing at Naomi's randomness.

"Jesus, I really thought you had something big to share with me." I say after a few moments, carefully brushing a tear under my eye whilst trying not to smudge my make-up in the process.

"What were you expecting?"

I shrug. "I don't know... Though I'm glad it only had to do with pancakes."

Naomi chuckles. "Well, I'm repeating it, they're just divine."

Putting my menu down on the table, I give her a cocky smile. "Since you're pressuring me into ordering them... I guess I really have no choice."

She just shakes her head, grinning. "You can always choose your toppings." She hands me back the menu, pointing towards a rather long list.

I clap gleefully, instantly feeling a bit ridiculous- I'm kind of a sucker for pancakes if I have to be totally honest. "Awesome."

I read the list, making small comments on my favourite toppings and finding it actually hard to make a choice that won't involve at least ten of them.

"Hmm... So I'm having a hard time deciding between blueberries and strawberries." I mumble, tapping my index finger on the table and eyes fixed on my menu. "On one hand, blueberries are pretty much my favourites but at the same time, strawberries are delicious too... Damn, what are you picking?"

Realizing I've been ranting like a complete dork, I look up only to find Naomi staring at me again. Her blue eyes are incredibly soft but this time, she hastily looks down at her menu, the tip of her ears turning a light shade of pink.

I clear my throat, feeling a bit self-conscious and briefly wondering why my cheeks are heating up. "So yeah... What are you going for?"

Naomi shrugs, readjusting her beanie. "The classic, yet sometimes underestimated, chocolate with bananas." She replies with a grin. "And you miss Fitch? What caught your interest?"

"I think I'm going for the blueberries. With maple syrup." I add as an afterthought, grinning. "Definitely maple syrup."

"You have the Campbell seal of approval on that one."

Naomi gestures for the girl behind the counter to come to our table.

"Hey Naoms, how have you been?" Apart from her tattoos, the girl has stretches, long brown hair and, I have to admit it, really cute dimples.

"Good, good. How about you Alex?" Naomi turns slightly around to face her whilst the girl- Alex, apparently- leans against the back of Naomi's side of the booth.

"Nothing special to be honest. Wow, is that a new one?" Alex traces a finger down Naomi's arm, circling one of her tattoos.

Naomi nods, grinning widely, and as they start talking about some good tattoo places or whatnot, the girl's finger still resting on Naomi's forearm, an unknown feeling seems to be settling low in my stomach.

I cough loudly, putting on my best bitch face and the two of them abruptly stop talking, bringing their eyes on me.

"Can we order now?"

Naomi gives me a surprised look. She's probably wondering why I'm being so rude all of a sudden and to be honest, I have not a clue myself.

"Christ, how bad of me, I didn't even introduce you! Emily, this is Alex. She owns this amazing restaurant."

"It's not nearly as amazing as yours though." Alex practically purrs, her eyes not leaving Naomi and really, it's just pathetic. Whatever.

Naomi blushes lightly. "And Alex, this is Emily, we...work together."

I give the girl a tight lipped smile, sticking out my hand. "Nice to meet you."

She seems taken aback by my overly formal attitude but shakes my hand nonetheless before pulling a notepad and a pencil from her jeans' back pocket.

"So, what can I get you?"

When Alex is finally gone, I keep my head down, toying with my fork. I have no idea why the fuck I just acted like I did. I somehow feel like I've embarrassed myself and I hate it.

"Emily?"

I look up, meeting Naomi's concerned gaze.

"Are you ok?"

I nod, straightening up a bit as I brush some non-existent dust off my cashmere top. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good."

Naomi smiles before slightly repositioning herself so that's she's now sitting cross-legged, making me smile too. I spend my days surrounded by uptight business people and even though I love my job, I can't help but admire how carefree Naomi is. In a way, it's unbelievably refreshing.

It's as if she's seeing life from a whole other perspective. A simpler, more generous, more beautiful one than the ones I've been confronted with so far.

I shake my head.

_What the fuck is up with you today Emily?_

In order to avert my thoughts from the odd path they're taking, I blurt out the first random thing that comes to my mind. "You know it's rude to keep your beanie inside, right?"

Naomi doesn't seem unfazed by the abrupt change of topic. Instead, she just pouts, cocking her head to the side. "But I love it."

I give her a pointed look and a smile and she sighs dramatically, taking it off and dropping it on the table. Her hair is slightly messy, fringe twisted and pinned to the side of her head but somehow, it makes her look kind of pretty.

Naomi must sense my lingering eyes on her hair because she shifts on her seat, hands digging in one of her coat's pocket, retrieving a hair tie. She starts to put them up in a high ponytail. My eyes are inexplicably drawn to the white skin of her now exposed neck when I notice a small tattoo right behind her left ear.

G.C

Two simple initials, or so it seems.

Curious, I gesture towards her neck. "What, or who, is G.C?"

Naomi self-consciously touches her tattoo, eyes instantly dropping to the table and I know I just crossed some sort of personal line.

"You don't have to tell me. It's fine."

Naomi shakes her head. "No, no. I just tend to forget this tattoo is there sometimes."

She pauses and I decide to wait for her to start talking again. I have to admit I'm intrigued but I can sense Naomi needs some time to gather her thoughts.

"These are my mother's initials. Gina Campbell."

Naomi looks up, her big blue eyes wide, making her look incredibly vulnerable. I just nod, encouraging her to continue.

"She...", Naomi inhales sharply, "she died seven years ago."

_Oh._

Blatant displays of feelings make me awkward. That's one of the things I hate about myself- my ridiculous inability to deal with emotions. But as I watch Naomi bow her head again, her hands faintly shaking, I instinctively reach out, grabbing one of them in my own cold one. Trying to let her know I'm there as best as I can.

I'm so lost in my own thoughts I almost don't hear Naomi's now slightly raspy voice.

"I was eighteen at the time, freshly out of college. I was planning on going to Goldsmith's, to study law but well... _it_ happened. After that, I was out of it for six months- hanging out with the wrong people, doing drugs. I realize now that that was my way of coping with everything, even though it obviously wasn't the right way to do it."

I furrow my brows, distractedly rubbing my thumb over the soft skin of Naomi's wrist.

"What about your dad? Couldn't he... help you in some way?"

Naomi looks up, and I feel a pinch inside my chest when I notice the sadness tainting her eyes. "He was never around. He left my mom and I when I was about two years old." She doesn't sound angry or bitter. She's just stating a fact.

Naomi pauses again, her eyes darting to my hand still covering hers.

"Honestly, it's completely understandable if you don't want to continue, we-" I start tentatively, but Naomi cuts me off, shaking her head.

"I _want_ to tell you."

She turns her palm up, briefly meeting my eyes before she intertwines her long fingers with mine. I feel my cheeks flushing, the tingly feeling running up my arm completely taking me off guard.

Naomi starts to absentmindedly play with my fingers, and I wonder if she even realizes what she's doing, biting on her bottom lip before she speaks again.

"Around my nineteenth birthday, one of my friends, well, of one the girls I was hanging out with at the time died of an overdose. That's when I realized that's absolutely not what my mom would have wanted me to do. That I was not going to end up like that when there was a whole world for me to explore. So I started to travel and well...I haven't stopped ever since."

A silence falls upon us, Naomi apparently lost in her memories as I just watch her, silently wondering how such a sweet, caring person had to go through that amount of shit.

Alex appears with our plates of pancakes and cups of coffee, eyeing our still joined hands with dark eyes. I quickly retract mine, feeling incredibly self-conscious as I bring it back in my lap.

"There you go." She flashes a smile in Naomi's direction, handing her her plate before practically dropping mine in front of me. "And that's for you."

I glare at her retreating back, mumbling. "Bitch."

Naomi seems oblivious to the whole exchange, her eyes filled with worry along with what can only be described as a hint of embarrassment as she stares at me through her eyelashes, and I realize I still have to say something.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable Emily, I apologize if-"

"Hey, hey." It's my turn to interrupt her, offering a small reassuring grin. "It's completely ok Naomi. I'm...", I twist my hands, something so uncharacteristic for me, cursing my own awkwardness, "I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me."

Naomi's eyes light up, bringing the usual glow to her face. "Thank you Emily."

She's looking at me so intensely I shift in my seat, avoiding her gaze as I quickly grab my fork. "Those pancakes won't eat themselves." I stuff a big bite in my mouth, Naomi chuckling as she digs into her own plate.

We eat in a comfortable silence for the next minutes, the restaurant quickly filling in with a couple more clients.

"Ok, I have to admit you were right. Best. Pancakes. Ever." I manage to say between two bites, pouring some more maple syrup on top of my second one.

Naomi giggles again. "Told you. Don't eat too fast though or you'll probably choke on something."

I stick my tongue out, ignoring her quiet laugh. "So, where did you travel exactly? I mean, after practically six years, I bet you've been to a lot of interesting places." I ask her curiously, stealing a slice of banana from her plate.

"Oi!"

She slaps my hand playfully and I quickly lick the small slice.

"Now it's mine."

She chuckles. "What are you, twelve?"

"And a quarter." I reply, winking as I stuff the banana in my mouth.

"You're unbelievable." She smiles gently, pointing her fork towards me. "And to answer your question, I've indeed been to my fair share of different cities and countries."

I swallow, taking a sip of coffee. "I'm gonna need you to be more specific than that." To be honest, even though it's all been triggered by a very sad event, I think Naomi's story is kind of fascinating. I've always loved to travel but it seems I never really got the time or the opportunity to do it.

"Well..." Naomi looks up to the ceiling, thinking for a bit. "I started not far from home, in France, Paris to be more exact. I spent six months there, working in a pastry shop. Let me just say I now know all about croissants."

My eyes widen. "Paris! I'd love to go there. It's so... iconic."

"It is, it really is. And I got to learn French, which is also very cool." She adds, grabbing a blueberry from my plate before popping it in her mouth with a cocky smile.

"And after France?" I ask excitedly. Naomi seems to notice my enthusiasm because her smile grows wider as she starts to add more details to her story.

"Well, I met a nice guy through friends I had made in Paris and he was going to visit his family in India. I told him I was actually considering going to India eventually and he told me I'd be welcome to join him and stay at his parent's house for a while. So I quit my job, said goodbye to my friends and made my way to India."

"Just like that?" I ask, feeling as if my eyes are about to pop out of my head.

"Yup. Just like that. Why?"

I lick my lips. "I just wish I could be spontaneous like that sometimes. I tend to make an awful lot of lists and plan everything two months ahead." I reply, laughing, although it's not far from the truth.

"Well, we can always work on that."

"I'd love it."

Naomi beams, nodding."Deal. So anyway, India was amazing. Yes, it was incredibly disorienting at first. It was just so different from everything I was used to but ultimately, I got to see the beauty of this country. I met incredible people and I see now how many valuable lessons they taught me. And obviously, the food was amazing. I think I almost overdosed on naan bread once."

I laugh, unable to look away from Naomi's sparkling blue eyes. Anyone could see she really enjoyed her time there.

"How much time did you stay?"

She takes a sip of coffee. "I stayed six months. I would have stayed longer but there was a problem with my visa and I had to leave in a hurry. You don't really want to get on the bad side of the Indian authorities."

"Wow, you sound like such a badass." I reply, teasing her.

She chuckles, almost chocking on her drink. "Oh yeah. That's totally the first word I would use to describe me."

"Totally." I reply, giggling along with her as I dip a slice of pancake in her chocolate sauce.

"So after that, me and my badassness moved to Canada."

"Why Canada?" I ask, intrigued. "God, that chocolate sauce is sinful."

"I know, right? Just," she grabs her fork, cutting a piece of pancake before dipping it in the sauce with a slice of banana on top, "try it with that."

When I make a move to grab the fork, Naomi shakes her head. "Come on, open up."

I feel myself blushing, opening my mouth nonetheless as Naomi slightly stands up from her seat, bringing the fork to my mouth.

The gesture is somehow intimate and even though it would make me feel unbelievably uncomfortable with anyone else, I just let Naomi feed me the pancake, her blue eyes never once leaving my face.

She gently takes out the fork before sitting back, still watching me intently.

I lick my lips, willing my cheeks to stop feeling so bloody hot. "Well, you're almost making me regret my topping choices."

"That was my goal." She smiles, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Canada. Well, I went there because weirdly enough, it was one of the cheapest flights I could find on such short notice. I ended up in Toronto, alone, without any idea of what I'd find there."

I take another sip of coffee, wondering how I would feel all alone in another country. My parents have always been so overprotective of Katie and I, always making sure we were living in this little golden cocoon that I don't really know if I'd be able to do it on my own.

"And what did you find?"

Naomi looks away before bringing her eyes back on me. She seems to hesitate before answering. "I found love."

My chest suddenly feels heavy and I distractedly pop a blueberry in my mouth, trying to brush away the feeling. Something about Naomi being in love makes me...uneasy.

She starts to tear up the top corner of her tablemat. "I was in love but unfortunately, my feelings were never returned. I have both amazing and incredibly painful memories of my time in Toronto."

She sounds pained and I desperately try to find something to comfort her. "That guy was stupid for ever letting you go." I blurt it out before I even register my mouth opened.

_Oh God. Really?_

Naomi seems surprised and I try to ignore the flutter in my stomach when I notice the pink shade quickly covering up her neck.

"So... what did you do in Toronto?" I ask after a couple of seconds, trying not to sound too awkward.

"I found myself this job in a small café that became some kind of an underground place at night. They would feature small bands every now and then. It was kind of awesome, even though I met some pretty strange people there."

"What was your job?"

She shrugs. "Nothing too glamorous I'm afraid. I would serve coffee during the day and beer at night. But the boss liked me so I also had plenty of free time to visit other places like Montreal or Vancouver. Of course, I wasn't the richest girl so I always travelled super cheap." Naomi adds with a smile.

"Still, you got to travel."

"Yes, and I'm grateful for that. The only expensive thing I bought was my Nikon camera, back in Paris. It basically followed me everywhere I've been."

I smile, once again fascinated by the woman in front of me. It's like she has no regrets. Like she managed to seize every opportunities life handed her and turned them into wonderful experiences.

I've never met anyone like her. With such passion.

I'm about to ask her what was the next step after Canada when she looks at her watch, cursing under her breath. "Bollocks, I told Cook we would be at the restaurant around nine thirty."

I almost pout, not wanting to stop the conversation so soon. I could have stayed here all day, listening to Naomi whilst eating pancakes.

"Guess we have to go then..." She gets up, almost sounding disappointed as her eyes meet mine.

I nod, reluctantly grabbing my jacket and my gloves. "Yeah..."

Naomi takes a twenty dollars bill out of her pocket and puts it on the table. "Breakfast's on me." She grins, putting on her coat.

"Naomi, you don't have to... I can pay for myself." I rush out, searching for my wallet. As Naomi mentioned before, and even though the restaurant has been doing well lately, I know she probably doesn't have that much money. Of course, I can't find my wallet in the mess of my oversized handbag.

Naomi waves Alex goodbye before her hand comes to rest on my wrist, stopping my frantic searching. I look up, meeting her kind blue eyes.

"It's my pleasure. Really."

"Thank you then." I smile, zipping up my bag as I watch her put her beanie back on. "But next time, it's on me."

There seems to be a quick spark in her eyes before she grins, sticking her hands in her coat pockets in an almost shy manner. "I'm glad to know there will be a next time."

Her hair is messily sticking out and I can't help but quickly replace the beanie on her head before answering. "You still have to tell me about the other places you've been to, no? Don't underestimate your story telling abilities."

Naomi chuckles, raising an eyebrow. "And you, you still have to tell me a bit more about yourself."

I scoff, heading towards the door. "I'm not nearly as interesting as you are, believe me."

Naomi's hand appears above my head, opening up the door for me. "Let me be the judge of that."

We step out in the unusually cold weather of this Manhattan's morning, Naomi walking behind me as I quickly check my Blackberry, letting out a sigh when I notice three new messages from Freddie.

Naomi gently bumps her shoulder against mine as we start to walk towards the subway station on the other side of the street. "Come on, let's get to work. I might even let you cut something else than vegetables today."

I respond with another playful bump, putting my Blackberry back in my handbag for the time being. I'll deal with real work later. "I can't wait."

And oddly enough, I actually can't.

**Wow. So. Much. Dialogues.**

**Hope it wasn't that bad- I feel like nothing really happened but at the same time, I want them to get to know each other and all so...Oh well. I'll pretend like I did the right thing. Denial, such a powerful friend.**

**Reviews do make me smile. And like...dance and stuff. **

**Loads of lovin'.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo!**

**Sweet Mary, thank you for all the review craziness I got going for last chapter! I felt like a starrrr. You make me feel like a starrrr. (I somehow sense that bursting into song, High School Musical style, would be oddly appropriate right now. Anyone else?) See? You make me want to sing. **

**And thank you for all the kind and supportive words. That was incredibly sweet and they made me truly happy. Like, big goofy smile and shit. Really.**

**This one goes out to **_**BlondieRedOrangeMoped**_**, YOU PUPPY KILLING PSYCHO. (Haha.)**

**(This takes place on the same day as the whole pancakes breakfast. Just so you know.)**

The day went by smoothly, albeit I had never realized how actually tiring working in a restaurant could be. I'm just helping Naomi and Thomas in the kitchen but the lunch time rush left me completely drained.

I gather my stuff in the employees' room, quickly texting Effy to tell her I'm done for the day.

"Where do you think you're going Red?" Cook's voice booms from somewhere on my right, startling me.

He's leaning against the doorframe, trademark cocky grin firmly in place as I raise a questioning eyebrow. "Well, I believe I'm going home Cook."

He shakes his head, playing with the cigarette behind his ear. "Oh, sexy, I believe you're not."

I roll my eyes, praying he's not about to use one of his awful pick-up lines on me. Again. "And why would that be?"

"It's Wednesday and here at The Bengal Tiger, Wednesday rhymes with pub and shitload of beer. It's kind of a non negotiable tradition."

"Oh. Well, as lovely as that sounds, I'm meeting my sister and a friend in a cocktail bar practically on the other side of town so actually, I'd better get going." I reply, taking off my flat shoes to put on a pair of heels I had brought from home this morning.

"Come on Red, the Cookie Monster wants you there!"

I let out a laugh at his ridiculous nickname, standing up from the chair I was sitting on as I smooth out the strapless navy blue dress I just changed into. I can't possibly show up to the trendiest bar in Manhattan wearing the clothes I usually wear at the restaurant.

Whilst quickly applying another coat of gloss, I notice the not so subtle way Cook's staring at my legs.

After putting on my coat and scarf, I grab my handbag and start to make my way out of the employees' room but not before stopping beside Cook, lightly running my finger down his arm as I lean in to whisper in his ear. "Lots of people want me Cook, doesn't mean they'll get to have me."

I can practically hear him gulp as I make my way out, smirking to myself.

_A bit of teasing never killed anyone, right?_

When I arrive in the now empty dining room, Naomi and the others are all gathered there, their coats already on.

Thomas, Naomi and Lara are laughing at something JJ's telling them and something in the way Naomi's throwing her head back makes me smile.

Just as I'm about to tell them I'm leaving, I lock eyes with Naomi and she grins widely, cocking her head to the side in a silent invitation to join them.

I don't have time to do anything because it's the precise moment Cook chooses to wrap one of his arms around my shoulders, squeezing me against his side. I groan, slightly pushing him off.

"Guys, Red doesn't wanna come to the pub!" He shouts loudly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. They all turn to look at me, sporting disappointed faces, Naomi's smile fading as she stuffs her hands in her coat's pockets. "I think she might need a bit of convincing."

"Surely you can't resist that." Thomas says before he starts pouting, making puppy dog eyes. He's soon followed by JJ and I can't help but giggle. "It's going to be fun, you'll see."

Lara nods, resting her chin on JJ's shoulder.

Behind them, I meet Naomi's blue eyes again. The corners of her lips slightly rise in a gentle smile as she watches me intently.

"As convincing as you all are, you have no idea of what my sister's capable of if I ditch her tonight."

"Surely your sister can't be _that_ bad." Lara replies, raising her eyebrows.

_Oh, you fool._

"I don't know..." I trail off, eyes still locked with Naomi's whose shoulders seem to slump a bit. I check my phone to find that I already have three texts from Katie and one from Effy. "Maybe another time?"

"Ok, we've been losing precious time dudes." Cook practically pushes them outside, putting on an awful red baseball hat along with a tight jeans jacket. "Too bad for Red but now, what the Cookie Monster needs is a motherfuckin' beer."

He then turns around to wave me goodbye. "Have fun babe! We'll all see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will. Bye Cook, and stop calling me babe!" I reply, but he's already out the door.

I somehow feel bad for not going with them when I realize Naomi's still inside, holding the door for me.

"I'm sorry for not coming..." I tell her sincerely, tightening the scarf around my neck as I close the short distance between us. "I hope we'll all get to go out someday though."

"I'd like that."

I grin, her answer making me strangely happy. "Awesome."

We both pause, Naomi averting her gaze to the floor before we lock eyes again.

"I love your dress." I hear her say softly, gesturing for me to go out. "After you _mademoiselle._"

Her compliment brings a sudden blush to my cheeks, something that most certainly never happened before, and I awkwardly move past her, grateful that my hair is partially hiding my face. "Thank you."

The cold wind hits my face and my hands the moment I step foot outside the restaurant and once more, I curse myself for not bringing any gloves. It's just so unusually cold for November that I can't seem to remember to dress in a more weather appropriate way.

The others are impatiently waiting for Naomi as she locks the restaurant, slightly jumping on the balls of their feet and blowing in their hands to keep them warm.

"Ok guys, I'm really off now. Be good."

They all wave and I turn around, heading towards the other end of the street, Cook shouting after me.

"I can't guarantee anything Red! By the way, nice ass in that dress!"

I roll my eyes, smiling to myself as I wave him goodbye over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around.

I'm about to text Katie, distractedly looking for a free cab when I hear light footsteps behind me.

"Emily, wait up!"

My heart does this annoying little flutter and I stop, Naomi appearing at my side.

"Here, take that."

She hands me a pair of white gloves, her kind eyes a darker shade of blue in the light of the streetlamp. "I heard we're expecting snow for later tonight so..." She trails off, once more sticking her hands in her pockets.

"You don't have to... What about you?"

She wriggles her hands, slightly lifting the bottom of her coat. "Pockets exist for a very good reason you know."

"I still have your purple ones back at home though." I smile embarrassedly, playing with the gloves in my hands.

"Oh, don't worry, these were a gift." Naomi smiles back. "I will want the white ones back eventually but for tonight, consider them yours."

"My knight in shining armour." I playfully tease her, oddly pleased when a faint blush covers her cheeks. "But still, I should just remember to bring my gloves in the first place."

Naomi's about to reply when Cook's voice interrupts her.

"Blondie, come the fuck on, will you! We ain't got all night and I need me some nice ladies."

"Too much information." She whispers, making me chuckle before she shouts back at Cook. "You're disgusting. Guess I have to go then." She aims the last part at me, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she puts her hood on.

"Thanks for the gloves." I reply, grinning, surprising even myself when I give her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You're very welcome. Have a nice evening Emily."

With that, she turns around and makes her way back to the others, lightly jogging.

I put on the gloves, still warm from Naomi's hands. I'm probably sporting an awfully dorky smile.

My pocket vibrates, indicating me I received another angry text from Katie, most probably asking me where I am but somehow, I really don't feel like going to that cocktail bar anymore.

I rub my hands together, noticing a blue spot on the pinkie of the left glove and I smile as I wonder where Naomi could have possibly gotten it.

Naomi. The only person I know who ever worried about my bad circulation. I'm aware it sounds ridiculously lame but I think it's kind of sweet how she noticed it after only a few days of knowing each other. And how she keeps worrying about it.

My phone vibrates again but I ignore it. Instead, I turn around, my heels clicking on the sidewalk as I start to quickly make my way down the street when I realize it's now empty.

After turning a corner, I'm relieved when I catch sight of the small group of people walking a couple of meters ahead of me.

Cook's playfully shoving JJ in the front, Thomas and Lara laughing behind them as Naomi walks a few paces behind.

I love how they all act around each other; it's genuine, unpretentious but you know that if one of them was in trouble, the others would offer their help in a heartbeat.

The distance between us is increasing so I clear my throat in order to attract their attention.

"Mind if I join you?" I say with a cocky smile, loudly enough for them to hear me.

Cook whips his head around, quickly followed by the others. "Red! You finally came to your senses!" He shouts happily, making me grin as I head towards them.

"I figured I could use a night at the pub."

"And you were craving our amazing company." Lara says, linking our arms before giving me a small wink.

"And I was craving your amazing company, obviously." I repeat, bumping our shoulders together. "Now lead the way Cook. I'm expecting you to buy me at least one beer."

Cook lets out a laugh that resonates in the silent night. Well, as silent as a night in Manhattan can be. "Your wish is my fuckin' command babes."

We all start to walk again, Lara letting go of my arm to better lace her fingers with JJ's and I watch them as he leans in to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"They're adorable, aren't they?" Naomi observes from beside me, slowing her pace to match it with mine.

I nod. "They look so happy. How long have they been together?"

"Six years."

I raise my eyebrows. "Fuck, that's impressive."

"I know, right?" She chuckles. "Lara told me they were high school sweethearts."

"That's kind of sweet. Albeit slightly cliché."

Naomi giggles again, giving me an amused look.

I feel my lips quirking upwards too. "What?"

"That was such a cynical thing to say!" She pokes me in the ribs, grinning.

I open my mouth to reply but Naomi puts a hand on my forearm, stopping me just in time as a cab speeds down the street we were about to cross. "Christ, some people really shouldn't get their licenses. Are you ok?"

I nod, warmed by the genuine concern I find in her big blue eyes. "I'm good. Thank you."

For the next minutes, we walk side by side in a comfortable silence, both of us watching Cook and Thomas with a smile as they mess around in front of us.

After a couple of texts to a rather angry Katie, I convince her to come to the pub, gently reminding her she still owes me one after leaving me all alone in a bar last week when she, once again, couldn't control her infamous libido.

I keep stealing sideway glances at Naomi, inwardly smiling when I notice how the tip of her nose turned pink due to the cold.

In front of us, Cook nearly tumbles over a pile of garbage and Naomi lets out a small snort before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

"Did you just...?" I ask her, stifling a laugh when I take in her embarrassed face. "That was very cute."

"Oh, shut up." I chuckle again, Naomi soon joining me. We stop after a moment, a goofy smile remaining on her face as she pokes me again, this time on the hip. "I'm glad you decided to come with us."

I nod, a tingly feeling spreading low in my stomach. "Me too."

Finally, we arrive in front of the pub, Cook practically howling as he enters right away, quickly followed by the others.

I text the exact address to Katie and when I look up, as usual, Naomi's holding the door open for me.

"Welcome to Keith's pub."

She closes the door behind us, a bell jingling as she motions for me to follow her to a corner booth where I can see all the others already sitting, taking off their coats.

The pub is insanely crowded, a faint smell of sweat and alcohol floating in the air. A couple of guys are playing a particularly loud game of pool whilst most of the customers are just scattered around the pub, enjoying a beer or watching a boxing match on the television hanging above the bar.

Behind the counter, a grouchy looking man with messy grey hair is wiping a glass and when he sees us, a smirk appears on his face.

"Hey Naomi, the usual for everyone?" He asks, slightly raising his voice to cover his noisy clientele.

"Hey Keith! Would you like anything else or a beer is fine?" Naomi asks me, lightly resting a hand on my lower back.

"It's, uh, a beer is perfect." I stutter out, momentarily surprised by the unexpected warmness that settles all around Naomi's hand.

"Cool." She grins, turning her attention back to Keith. "Yes, six beers please. And a plate of those mozzarella sticks."

"Coming right up love."

Everyone moves to make us a place in the booth, Naomi sliding down after me and squeezing me between Thomas and her.

I listen to their conversation for a while, laughing when Cook says something completely ridiculous, and it happens more often than not, or when Naomi replies to him with a witty comment.

Lara's the first one to notice Katie entering the bar, followed by Effy.

"Emily, I think your sister's here." She interrupts one of JJ's rambling, pointing her thumb towards the entrance.

"Oh Christ." I mumble, feeling Naomi's shoulder shake against mine as she chuckles silently.

Before I have to do anything, Katie spots us, her five inches high stilettos loud on the wooden floor.

"What the fuck is this place Ems? I dressed up!" She huffs, taking off her coat, revealing a shiny cream dress and an expensive looking golden necklace seemingly to emphasize her point.

Effy gives me a small nod, rolling her eyes.

I grin. It's true that with our dresses and heels, the three of us kind of clash with the rest of the customers.

"Katie, don't be so fucking rude, will you?" I tell her, giving her a pointed look. "Stop whining and let me introduce you to everyone. Plus, as I said before, you owe me."

Katie sighs, sitting beside Lara as Effy sits in front of her, next to Naomi. "Whatever."

_God, she can be such a brat._

After the introductions have been made, Cook ogling at Katie's tits like the pervert that he clearly is, our beers and food finally arrive.

I grab mine, taking a small sip as I watch Katie nearly throwing another bitch fit when she realizes they don't make Cosmos.

After a few minutes though, the conversations start again and I'm glad to see Lara talking with Katie and Effy.

"Wow, you sister's... interesting."

I nod, mirroring Naomi's action as she shifts in her seat to slightly face me. She's biting her bottom lip, eyes twinkling playfully as she watches me over the rim of her glass. "That's a very diplomatic way of putting it. But it's just the first impression. Hopefully, you'll get to see the kinder, funnier side of her eventually."

"If you're anything to go by, I'm sure she's an amazing person."

A heat spreads across my neck as Naomi averts her eyes, taking a large gulp of beer.

"Believe me, I can be quite a bitch when I want."

"I'm sure you can." She replies, clearly teasing me.

I throw her a napkin. "You were not supposed to approve."

"Well, you did just throw a napkin at my face. That actually proved the point."

Naomi's impish smile makes me laugh, and I notice how the pink of her cheeks, either from the cold or from the bar's warm atmosphere, makes her look pretty. Well, prettier.

_Is it weird that I'm noticing that?_

My inner questioning along with my conversation with Naomi are suddenly interrupted by a loud voice that effectively silences the whole pub.

Keith is still standing behind the beer but he now has a mic in his hands.

"My little fuckers, welcome to our usual Wednesday quiz!"

Pretty much everyone starts cheering loudly, particularly Cook, and Keith just shakes his head, motioning for them to listen.

"You all know the rules. You have five minutes to pair up in teams and then we'll start."

I give Naomi a questioning look.

"What in fuck's name is the Wednesday quiz?" Katie asks, air quoting the last two words.

"Basically, he's going to ask questions and the team that makes the most points will win free beers for the rest of the night."

I'm expecting another comment from Katie but surprisingly, she just nods, crossing her legs. "You had me at free beer. Eff, you're with me."

Effy nods, raising an eyebrow. "Asked so nicely, how can I refuse?."

"Oh come on, don't be a bitch yeah?"

I smile to myself; those two are constantly bickering.

Keith's slight Irish accent resonates once more in the bustling bar. "Everyone has a partner?"

I give a sideway glance at Naomi only to find her already staring at me, soft smile playing on her lips. "Be mine?"

I grin back. "Of course."

**Woooo. What will this crazy night at the pub bring for our two favourite ladies?**

**So much suspense, I know. I hope you'll be able to sleep and carry on with your usual activities nonetheless. **

**Part 2 sometimes this week so stay tuned gorgeous people. Until then... fist bump? Yes? Awesome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi!**

**God, updating really isn't my forte, is it?**

**I'm really, truly sorry. I am. But as I said before, I WILL finish this story. It's not inspiration that's lacking. Unfortunately, it's time.**

**Thanks to all of you who still send me amazing reviews! I love them. Like, soul mates love and all.**

**(This picks up right where we left last chapter so you might want to go check that first...)**

"Ok you bunch of fuckers, let's start." Keith announces, putting on a pair of weird red reading glasses. "You all ready for the first question?"

A chorus of 'yes' instantly comes from every corner of the pub and Keith looks satisfied as he checks the first question on one of the small cards he's holding.

Naomi cracks her fingers in a way someone who's about to enter a fight would, shooting me a small wink afterwards, and I can't help but giggle, lightly shoving her shoulder.

"Stay focussed."

She raises an eyebrow, smiling. "Oh, someone's very competitive I see."

"I am. Now let's win that shitty quiz."

She laughs, turning her head back to face Keith who seems to be having problems reading the card, even with his glasses on.

"So from what I can read, I think the first question is... What did the F in John F. Kennedy stand for?"

"Fitzgerald!" Naomi and I both shout at the same time, earning us a thumbs up from Keith and glares from the other teams.

We high-five, Naomi sticking out her tongue to Thomas and JJ.

"Correct answer ladies!" He grabs a sheet on the counter behind him, taking a pencil out of his shirt pocket. "One point for Naomi and her girlfriend it is."

My heart skips a beat as Naomi flushes red, almost chocking on her drink.

"She's not... we're not- she's not my girlfriend."

Keith furrows his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "Really? Could have sworn... Oh well, sorry about that Naomikins, it's just been so long since you brought a girl here I just assumed..."

"She's not." Naomi cuts him off abruptly, neck still tainted pink. "Can we just move on to the next question, please?"

Everyone brings back their attention to Keith, cheering at Naomi's suggestion.

I, for my part, barely hear the next question because I stopped listening after Keith mentioned Naomi "bringing girls" here.

I absentmindedly twirl the glass in my hands, slowly coming to the one possible conclusion.

Naomi's... gay. Or at the very least, bi.

I don't know what to think of that. I'm certainly not uncomfortable with homosexuality, no, it has nothing to do with that.

I just wonder why Naomi didn't tell me before. Did she think I would react badly to it?

Yes, it kind of changes the way I see her, I have to admit that.

But not in a bad way. It only feels like I just know her better now. Like I have access to a part of her I didn't even know existed until now.

Along with those thoughts, a warm, tingly feeling settles low in my stomach.

Naomi's gay. She likes _girls_.

In spite of me, the thought makes my heart flutters, something I don't have time to dwell on much longer when I notice how Naomi hasn't been talking since the last question.

Instead, she's fidgeting with her bangles, biting her bottom lip as her eyes remain glued on the table.

_It's probably because you haven't said anything either. For all you know, she thinks you're a raging anti-gay or something. Talk to her, you moron._

"Naoms?" I ask softly, waiting until her worried blue eyes meet mine. "Let's show those losers how we handle their little amateur quiz."

I flash her a smile, trying to convey through it how much this new piece of information doesn't change anything between us, and I think she understands what I'm trying to do because she lets out a shaky breath followed by a smile just as wide as mine.

"You got it."

Twenty questions later and Naomi and I are definitely awesome together.

Cook gave up a long time ago, leaving a grumpy Thomas without a partner. Instead, he decided to keep bringing us shots of vodka resulting in our little group getting increasingly tipsy as time passes by.

Katie and Effy are laughing loudly, shouting random answers. Our only competition left is a couple sitting a few tables away from us, the girl sending death glares our way every time we get a right answer.

"God, that girl is kind of scary." Naomi says with a giggle, taking a sip of her beer.

I nod, grinning, and as she twists on her seat to face Keith again, I can't help but let my eyes linger on the soft line of her jaw, revealed earlier when she put her hair up in a bun.

My eyes then trail all the way up to her ear, counting the piercings she has there- five- before flickering down to her arm.

The sleeves of her shirt are rolled up to her elbows, and it's the first time I've actually been close enough to really look at her tattoos.

The whole length of her forearm is covered with different shades of blue, green, yellow and purple, all melting together to form a beautiful, very delicately executed peacock. His tail is wide open, the feathers contrasting beautifully with Naomi's pale skin.

Without really thinking about it, alcohol clearly starting to blur my judgement, I put a finger on her arm, carefully following the outlines of her tattoo.

I can feel Naomi's eyes on me, the muscles of her arm slightly stiffening as I brush against the inside of her wrist.

"Beautiful." I look up, meeting Naomi's blue eyes. "Your tattoo, it's really beautiful." My voice somehow drops to a quiet whisper even though the people in the pub are getting louder and louder.

She runs a hand through her hair, smiling shyly. "Thank you." She whispers it back and this little bubble of intimacy we just created makes me smile.

"You're welcome."

Naomi looks like she wants to say something else but Keith's voice fills the pub once more.

"People, we have a tie between Red and Blondie over there", Cook cheers loudly, "and the lovely couple at the table over here. I have one more question left so if you get the correct answer, you're on for free beer for the rest night. We're good?"

We all nod, the atmosphere in the pub shifting to a calmer one.

"It feels like we're in one of those cheesy movies where there's the final competition at the end and everyone's just holding their breaths." Naomi whispers again, this time slightly leaning in so that she's speaking directly against my ear. She smells nice, like flowers and soap.

"Yup, it's all very dramatic." I reply, forgetting the pounding of my heart when Naomi laughs through her nose, leaning back against the booth.

"Attention everyone." Keith says, and even the music coming from an old jukebox in the corner seems to quiet down a bit. "The last question is... Who wrote the famous book _To Kill a Mockingbird_?"

My mouth opens and then closes, mind completely blank.

I lock eyes with Naomi, her brows furrowing in concentration. "Oh God, I know this one."

I bite my bottom lip. "Me too but I can't remember it for the life of me."

The other team still hasn't answered so I keep racking my brain for the answer I know is hiding in there somewhere.

"What the fuck Ems, you read this book like a thousand times back in high school." Katie says impatiently above Naomi's shoulder.

I glare at her. "Not helping Katie."

"I think it's Nelle...Nelle _something_..." Naomi says then, closing her eyes as if trying to visualize it. It's kind of cute.

The pub is completely silent, the only sound being the hushed whispers of the couple, apparently struggling with the question as much as we are.

And then, like a bright flash, the answer appears in my mind and tumbles out of my mouth before I even register it opened. "Nelle Harper Lee!"

Keith makes a show of checking his card, letting the suspense lingers on for a few extra seconds before he smiles, putting down his glasses. "Victory goes to Red and Blondie! Well done ladies."

The whole pub claps and cheers as I squeak loudly, Naomi raising her fist in the air.

"Now come to the bar and enjoy your free beer!"

Katie and Effy get up to let us out of the booth and before I know it, Naomi wraps me in a tight hug, her hands resting on the small of my back as she slightly lifts me off the ground.

"That was brilliant Em, just brilliant!" Her eyes are shining with something achingly close to admiration, making me feel all warm inside.

"You said Nelle first..."

"Still, we won! We won!" Naomi's drunken excitation is contagious and soon enough, we're both giggling for no apparent reason.

People around us went back to their previous activities, the pub filled back with conversations and laughter.

"Ems, you bringing us our drinks or what?" Katie asks, earning her a chuckle from Lara.

"First, they're not _your_ drinks, Naomi and I won then, and second-"

Words die in my throat when Naomi intertwines her fingers with mine, tugging me away from an imminent fight with Katie. "Come on, let's go get _our_ drinks."

She smiles playfully, slightly swaying on her feet as she heads towards the bar.

OOOOOO

_Fuck, I've had a bit too much to drink._

I try to not mess up my make-up as I put some lipstick back on, quietly humming to myself as I stand in front of the mirror in the pub's small bathroom.

I hear the door open behind me, smiling when I lock eyes with Effy in the mirror.

"What's up Eff? Did you lose another game of pool against Thomas?" I tease her, knowing how she hates losing.

She rolls her eyes. "Yes."

I let out a throaty laugh, fluffing my hair up as I let her borrow my lipstick.

"Naomi wants you to play a game with her later on by the way." Effy says, smacking her lips together.

Naomi and I have been spending the whole night together, mostly talking or goofing around, and I try not to think too much about the fact that she never showed any signs of wanting to be with anyone but me.

I grin, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Cool."

I'm about to exit the bathroom when Effy speaks again. "Be careful Ems."

I turn around, confused. "About what?"

Effy sighs, her blue eyes boring into mine. "We work in a pretty tough business Emily. People can be real sharks sometimes. Just don't forget why you met Naomi in the first place, ok?"

"Effy, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm not blind Emily. You and her still might be but I'm not. And as your best friend, I'm telling you to be careful."

She looks pretty serious and even though I'm not quite sure to get where she's going, I nod, unsure of what she wants me to say.

Effy seems satisfied because she grabs my elbow, pushing me out of the bathroom with a smirk. "Good. Now let me benefit from those free beers."

OOOOOO

A light snow is falling as we messily exit the pub and it probably has been for a while because the sidewalks are already covered in white.

The air has gotten even colder, making me slightly shiver as I pull out Naomi's gloves out of my handbag, immediately putting them on.

"Snow! I love snow!" Lara squeaks in the quiet night, grabbing JJ's hand as she starts to twirl, face turned towards the sky.

We all laugh at their antics- everyone's slightly tipsy, just enough to make everything we encounter incredibly fascinating and for once, it's nice to not end up completely trashed at the end of the night as Katie, Eff and I usually do.

Katie who, apparently, left with Cook a little before us. _So gross._

"We will have to head to a busier street if you want to find a cab at this hour Emzy." Effy says, looking positively frozen in her thin leather coat. She's not very expressive, even when she's drunk, but I know for sure she's had a couple of drinks when she starts calling me Emzy.

"That's so clever of you Effy. We should do that." I reply, giggling again as I watch JJ nearly slip on the snow before Thomas firmly grabs his arm, mumbling something in French.

"Let's head this way then." Naomi chips in, pointing towards the end of the street. "Plus, it's on those guys' way home." She adds, referring to JJ, Thomas and Lara.

We all nod in agreement, JJ and Thomas leading the way as they start singing a random song, Lara and Effy clapping their hands behind them in a very enthusiastic manner.

I take a few tentative steps in order to follow them and even though I'm wearing rather high heels, the snow instantly makes its way down my shoes.

"Fuck! I really wasn't planning to walk in some snow tonight." I mutter, jumping on one foot as I take off my other shoe, trying to get rid of the snow.

Instead, I lose balance, my nylon covered foot landing directly in the snow.

I gasp. "Fucking hell! Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Quickly putting my shoe back on, I look up and find Naomi watching me, a hand in front of her mouth as she appears to be silently laughing.

The others are still walking, oblivious to the whole incident.

"It's not fucking funny."

Naomi bites her bottom lip. "No, no. You're right. I'm sorry."

The moment the words come out of her mouth, she chuckles again and this time, I feel a smile playing on my lips as well.

"I'm one step away from hypothermia, how very insensitive of you."

"You should have just seen your face. It was priceless."

I stick out my tongue. "Fuck off. Try walking barefoot in the snow and we can talk about it then."

She grins, pushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Are you ok though?"

"I'm fine." I pout, realizing I still have to walk the whole street in those bloody heels. "I'm just wondering how I will make it without losing a foot to frost bites in the process."

Naomi seems to think for a moment before her face lights up. "I think I might have a solution for you."

I raise a questioning eyebrow. "Mind sharing?"

Instead of replying, Naomi turns around, slightly bending her knees.

It takes a couple of seconds to my foggy brain- the alcohol apparently still having some effects- to understand what she means and when I do, I let out a disbelieving scoff. "You want to give me a piggy back ride? No fucking way."

Naomi slightly turns her head to look at me. "Come on, don't be a baby."

"Nop. Nuh uh."

"It's either that or you walk in the snow."

I huff, closing the distance between us as I put my hands on her shoulders. "Fine."

Naomi flashes me a big smile, bending her knees a bit more. "Ok, on the count of three, you jump."

"But-"

"Don't worry, I will catch you." She interrupts me softly. "One, two, three."

I jump slightly, still tightly holding on to her shoulders. Naomi's hands catch me mid-air before gripping more firmly to the back of my thighs.

I squeal, wrapping my arms around her neck. "We made it!" The alcohol makes me sound like an over enthusiastic moron but for now, I don't really care.

"Of course we did. Now hold on tight, we have to catch up with the others."

She's surprisingly strong and I can't help but blush when I become all too aware of her hands on my practically bare thighs.

I don't have time to reply, Naomi starting to jog and I shriek before starting to laugh, burying my face in her hair.

"How are we doing back there?" Naomi asks, and I know she's smiling even though I can't see her face.

"You're going to kill us, I swear."

We both giggle, Naomi slightly lifting me up to readjust her hands. "I won't. You're safe with me."

She turns a corner, a cold wind suddenly hitting us, making me very grateful for the warmth radiating off of Naomi. "I know I am."

We finally join the others, Thomas managing to find a free taxi for Naomi and I.

"Ok guys, as much as I'd wish for tearful goodbyes, it's fucking freezing and I want to go home." Lara says, nose buried down her scarf. "See you both tomorrow!"

Naomi nods, laughing, some of her hair tickling my nose. "Yup, good night!"

We all part after a few moments, Effy sending me a warning look as she walks away.

I'm still on Naomi's back and I chuckle, softly pressing my thumb against her nose. "You can let me down you know. I won't break."

"You sure about that?"Naomi asks with a smile, craning her neck to meet my eyes.

"Pretty sure."

"Ok then." She gently settles me back down on the ground.

"Thank you for the ride."

She grins toothily, making a ridiculous bow as she opens the cab's door for me. "After you."

I giggle, curtseying back before I sit in the cab, Naomi following me.

"Where are we going?" The driver asks with a thick Brooklyn accent, looking at us in his rearview mirror.

I give him my address and he nods, putting his flasher on to bring us back on the streets.

The ride is silent, comfortable, and I feel myself dozing off against the cold window but fortunately, the cab comes to an halt before I have time to drool all over the place.

"Here we are." The driver announces, sounding unbelievably bored.

I quickly rub my tired eyes, Naomi watching me with a smile.

"You were an awesome partner." She says out of the blue as I pull out some cash out of my wallet. "I've had a lot of fun tonight."

I smile. "So were you. And so did I."

I hand the cash to the driver and when I bring my eyes back to Naomi, she has a small blush on her cheeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

It's as if she needs confirmation and to be honest, I'm more than willing to give it to her. "Of course. Good night Naoms." I reply, opening the car's door.

"Sleep tight Ems."

I shut the door and as I watch the cab disappear down my street, I don't miss the dorky little wave Naomi gives me from the back window.

**I know that Emily seems to have forgotten the whole purpose of her work at Naomi's restaurant but trust me, I haven't. It will come up eventually.**

**I would love to get some feedback on this one, if you'd care to give me some! Mucho love.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Bonjour!**

**Every time I post a new chapter and get reviews, I can't believe people are still reading this despite the bad updating job I'm doing. Your comments make me so, so, SO happy you guys! Brittana kiss level of happiness which believe me, if you would have seen me in front of my television, hyperventilating like a mad person, means a hell of a big load of happiness.**

**Thanks a lot!**

**So ok. Here we go. I have some other stuff to say (I never shut up. Like, EVER.) but I'll keep it for the end of the chapter. Now read on, gorgeous people.**

I helped Naomi close the restaurant today.

It has been a busy one, people coming in and out through the whole day.

The last group of clients left around eleven and Naomi insisted on cooking me a little something before I could go back home, arguing I had actually never tasted any of The Bengal Tiger's specialties.

But somehow, it turned into a late night dinner, the smell of chicken curry pleasantly invading my nostrils. I keep glancing at Naomi's concentrated face, nose all scrunched up as she cooks, but am distracted by the messages Richard keep sending me, urging me to come over since his wife is supposed to be out for the night.

"Can you grab two forks and a couple of napkins, Ems? We'll just eat in the dining room." Naomi asks me over her shoulder, putting the finishing touches to our plates.

The nickname makes me want to smile. "Got it."

I hop off the counter where I was sitting; glad I'm not wearing heels for once, finally typing my reply to Richard.

_Not tonight. We'll talk later. E_

OOOOOO

I swallow a mouthful of chicken, watching with a smile as Naomi pours us some wine in blue plastic cups.

"I know it's not very fancy", she says with an apologetic smile, handing me mine, "but hopefully the wine itself will make up for it. It's a bottle a client gave me a couple of months ago to thank me for hosting his birthday party and according to Thomas, it's a pretty good one."

I smell the wine, twirling it in my glass before taking a small sip of it, furrowing my eyebrows.

Naomi's looking at me, clearly impressed, her blue eyes wide and questioning. "And?"

I settle my cup back on the table, trying to stay serious but I have to bite my bottom lip in order to contain a smile. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Naomi gives me a disbelieving look soon followed by a loud chuckle. "That's so mean!" I giggle, taking another sip of my wine. "I thought you were going to say this wine was complete and utter shit or something."

"You did look pretty nervous." I reply through laughter. "I've seen my father do this countless times but I don't know a thing about wine. It's either I like the taste or I don't."

"Yeah, me too." Naomi chuckles again, her bangles clinking as she runs a hand through her hair. She's wearing them straight today and I love how she messily braided her fringe, pinning it to the side of her head. It's just so _her_.

I gather some chicken with my fork, putting it in my mouth. The sauce is a bit spicy but in a perfect way.

"This", I gesture to the plate with my fork, swallowing, "tastes delicious."

"I'm glad you like it."

We eat in silence for a moment, the various sounds of the city nicely filling the blank.

Finally, I put my fork down, leaning back on my chair. "God, I ate way too much."

Naomi raises her eyebrow, looking down at my plate. "You still have a bit left. No dessert until this plate is completely clean young girl."

I laugh. "You have absolutely no credibility."

"I resent that!"

"I bet you don't get angry that often."

"And why would you say that?" She replies, shifting on her seat in order to cross her legs, Indian style. Something else that's just so Naomi.

I shrug, nodding when she silently offers me more wine before pouring herself another glass too. "I don't know. Guess you just don't strike me as the angry type."

"Are you?"

I frown. "Am I what?"

"The angry type?" She traps her bottom lip between her teeth, slightly tilting her head to the side.

Somehow, the question makes me uncomfortable.

"I don't know...I guess?" I cross my legs, playing with my paper napkin. "My colleagues have actually been comparing me to a shark since practically my first day at the company. One day, I even made this guy cry because apparently, I had been negotiating too harshly." I air quote the last three words, smirking. "Poor guy. I did get a promotion though."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear how truly awful they make me sound.

I feel my cheeks heating up as Naomi watches me intently.

"You sound-"

"...like a total bitch, right?" I quietly complete her sentence, not meeting her eyes. Naomi's just so generous and sweet, it feels all kinds of wrong to be telling her about the typical bossy workaholic I usually am.

The truth, I realize in the silence that follows, is that in less than a week, I've come to value and respect Naomi's opinions in a way I've rarely ever done with anyone else.

And it makes me feel uneasy to think she could change the opinion she has of me if she finds out how I normally act at work, or even around Katie and Effy.

"Emily." Her soft voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I look up, meeting her eyes. "Let me finish. I was going to say that you sound pretty fearless to me. A bit harsh maybe," she smiles at that, "but mostly fearless."

I feel myself blush but this time for a completely different reason, chuckling half-heartedly. "I don't think this can pass as fearlessness."

It's her turn to shrug. "Well I do. And I think you should too."

I smile coyly, suddenly feeling very warm. "Fearless..." I repeat, testing the word. "I like the sound of that."

Naomi grins widely, shaking her head. "I'm glad you do, because I mean it." I feel like she wants to say something else but instead she just gets up, grabbing our two plates. "So, want some ice cream?"

I nod, chuckling at the random topic change. "Sure."

"I've got," she looks up, "chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or, my personal favourite, cookie dough."

"You have cookie dough...ice cream?" I ask incredulously, Naomi's eyes widening comically.

"You've never heard of it?"

"Nop." I reply amusedly. "I'm a chocolate kind of girl."

"You're about to change then." She winks, walking backwards towards the kitchen. "Just give me five minutes."

"I'm not moving."

"You better not." She scolds me, the playful twinkle in her eyes betraying her.

"Still absolutely no credibility." I mutter under my breath, watching as she disappears behind the bright orange kitchen doors.

"I heard that!"

I giggle, grabbing my phone in my purse.

I love how easy it is, being with Naomi. She makes me laugh, a lot, and I have to admit it's something that doesn't happen too often. My father would say I'm a tough public but then again, his jokes are usually shit so I don't think I'm the one to blame.

I hear Naomi quietly humming in the kitchen, and I smile to myself.

In my inbox, I find a message from Freddie, informing me that I'm needed at the office tomorrow morning as we're about to close a deal with a client I've been working with for the past few months.

The other one is from Richard, reminding me that we have this company cocktail on Saturday night, that he'll have a dress sent to my apartment for the occasion and that his limo will come pick me up at seven.

I sigh. I had totally forgotten that cocktail thing and there's really no way out of it. I'm usually the one who accompanies Richard to represent the company with him at formal events.

I type quick replies to both of them before putting my phone away.

It's been a good ten minutes since Naomi left and not a sound is now coming from the kitchen.

"Naomi, do you need any help?" I ask, already getting up.

The doors open, Naomi appearing with two big white bowls in her hands, grinning excitedly. "I'm all good, thank you."

She puts one of them in front of me, settling the other one at her place as she sits back on her chair.

I look down at my bowl, feeling Naomi's eyes on me when a small gasp of surprise escapes my lips.

She actually gave me a scoop of each flavour, topping them with whipped cream, caramel and what appears to be hot, melting chocolate.

But what catches my eyes first is the bright EMILY she managed to write in multicoloured sprinkles.

"Oh my God, Naomi..."

"Too much?" She asks with a small smile, but there's a hint of worry in her eyes. "It's a bit childish, I know..."

"Naomi, it's the craziest and most amazing looking ice cream I've had in a while. Scratch that. It's the craziest ice cream I've _ever_ had."

I watch her smile grow bigger, my heart fluttering when I notice the faint blush on her ears.

"Now stop the nonsense and let me taste it."

She giggles, nodding. "I love your enthusiasm."

I just stick out my tongue, too busy trying to get all of the goodness in one spoonful.

"Oh fuck, that actually beats the curry." I mumble, relishing in the heavenly mix of chocolate and caramel. "This makes me regret being on a diet for this long."

"I don't think a bit of ice cream will kill you." Naomi replies, stealing some of my sprinkles with her spoon. "You already look amazing as you are anyway."

There's a silence, Naomi quickly looking down as I just smile bashfully.

Like before, we eat for a bit in a comfortable silence and just like before, my eyes discretely wander towards Naomi, this time noticing how nice she looks in a simple gray t-shirt topped with an oversized kelly green cardigan.

As usual, she rolled up the sleeves, her peacock tattoo visible in all its gloriousness.

I swallow a mouthful of ice cream, quickly shifting my gaze somewhere else when Naomi moves on her seat.

"So Naomi, I think it's time for part two."

"Part two of what?" She asks, clearly confused.

"Of the tales of your incredible adventures around the globe." I reply, grinning when Naomi lets out a throaty laugh. "I deserve the rest of the story."

"I was afraid I had actually bored you to death the last time."

"You didn't."

"Ok then." She scratches her forehead, leaning back on her chair. "Where were we?"

"You were in Toronto." _Madly in love with someone._

"Oh, right. Well, after a while in Toronto, I felt like I had to move. I had been there for almost two years and I don't know... I guess I might have nomad blood because I can't seem to be able to settle down for good."

"And where did you go?"

"At first, I was planning for Mexico but a few days before I was due to leave, I met this girl who was the singer of a small, local band. They had gigs planned all through the East Coast for the next few weeks. We talked and she invited me to travel with them. Their last show was supposed to be in Florida so I would just have to catch a plane from there and head to Mexico afterwards."

"So you just... said yes and hoped into a van with them?"

Naomi laughs, nodding. "Pretty much. By the way, they actually had a van! A yellow one, with stickers all over the place."

"And I bet they were smoking weed and played the acoustic guitar too, uh?"

"They weren't _that_ cliché." Naomi replies, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It was a banjo."

I let out a laugh through my nose. "I see."

Naomi steals some more sprinkles from my bowl, eyeing me with a playful smile when I brush her hand away. "After the whole band thing, you went to Mexico?"

"Yes, and stayed there for six months. I was working in a museum, folding pamphlets and various other trivial tasks like this. Can't say it was the most thrilling thing I did but it paid surprisingly well and left me enough time to travel a bit."

"You know you're going to have to show me your pictures one day, right?"

"Don't worry, I will."

I put my spoon down, the metal clinking against the bowl. "I have to admit cookie dough's actually pretty good. Ok, now I've definitely ate way too much."

Naomi pats her stomach, closing her eyes. "Told you." She cracks one open, looking at me with a smile. "It was worth it though."

"Totally. Now tell me, after Mexico, what happened?"

"Well, well. One of my friends from England wrote to me one day, saying a young couple he knew was looking for a nanny for their two kids..." she pauses for the effect, and I roll my eyes, amused. "... in Australia. Sydney, to be accurate."

"So you said yes and took the next plane to Sydney?"

"So I said yes and took the next plane to Sydney." Naomi repeats, leaning her chin in her hand, elbow resting on the table. "I kind of have a pattern, as you noticed."

"I think it's amazing, the opportunities you kept on ceasing. I would never be able to do that."

Naomi shrugs, smiling somewhat bashfully. "It's just who I am."

"Well, you're pretty awesome then." I reply sincerely, blushing under her surprised gaze. "So... Australia...?"

"...was so much fun." She completes, eyes flickering down before meeting mine again. "The kids, Audrey and Ryan, were just amazing. Nothing much happened, expect a killer tan and my hair looking practically white from all the sun. But I enjoyed every minute of it. And after that, I travelled for six months in Asia; Vietnam, Thailand and Japan mostly."

"Alone?"

She shakes her head. "No, I met that girl in Sydney, she was from Morocco and was looking for someone to travel with her so of course, I didn't refuse the offer."

I smile. "Of course."

"After Asia, I said goodbye to my Moroccan friend and randomly decided to head to New York. I just felt the Big Apple calling I guess. The rest is history."

"Wow." Is all I manage to whisper, intently looking at Naomi.

Naomi, who already experienced so many things whilst I've stayed in New York for practically all my life. Sure, my job pays well and I have a beautiful apartment but it's nothing compared to what Naomi has.

"I really, really want to see those pictures. More than ever."

Naomi giggles. "Duly noted."

We stay in silence for a moment. I can't help but want to ask a thousand questions but I feel like I've already asked too much for one night.

It's notr until Naomi clears her throat that I look back up only to find her nervously fiddling with her bangles.

"I've been meaning to ask you..." She starts, not quite meeting my eyes. "Do you, uh, do you have any plans for Thanksgiving next week?"

My heart skips a beat, taking in her flushed face and somewhat hopeful eyes. "I, well, I was supposed to spend it in the Hamptons with Katie and Effy. My parents have a beach house there..." I trail off, her shoulders slightly slumping before she grins, nodding.

"That sounds nice."

"Why did you ask?"

She rubs the back of her neck. "I just... wanted to invite you to this dinner I'm having at my place. But it's fine, the Hamptons obviously sound cooler."

She gives me a big smile but it doesn't seem to quite reach her eyes.

I feel oddly disappointed at the thought that I'm going to miss Naomi's dinner.

The idea strikes me suddenly, so obvious I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

"Come to my house!"

"What?"

"I mean," I start again, "come to my house, in the Hamptons. We can invite Cook and the others. Plus, they already know Katie and Eff so..."

I try to contain my excitement, Naomi watching me with a rapidly growing grin. "Really? Are you sure you want to invite a bunch of losers to spend Thanksgiving with you?"

Her eyes are twinkling in that way that lets me know she's joking. "It would be a pleasure. Katie, Eff and I have been doing the same thing for the past five years- we need some new blood."

Naomi chuckles. "All right then. I'll talk to the others but as I know them, they'll be as excited as I am."

"Awesome."

"Awesome." She repeats, her gaze boring into mine. "Thank you Ems."

Her blue eyes are wide, a tad sparkly in the dim light of the restaurant.

"You're welcome."

And as I amusedly listen to Naomi make crazy plans for Thanksgiving, I can't help but look forward to the Hamptons next week.

**I know there's an awful lot of blushing and smiling and that this basically was a dialogue chapter but fear not my friends, this is going somewhere. I just don't feel it would be very realistic for anything to happen between them in only four days.**

**Next chapter: Emily finds out she got into Hogwarts. Of course not. BUT, there might be some kind of drama ahead so... come back for the next one, yeah?**

**Reviews are the whipped cream on the big sundae of my life! Love.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey!**

**What can I say... I'm a happy woman. Your reviews, man, those reviews! They tug at my heart and make me want to hug you all! So consider yourselves hugged. Big time.**

**Oh and to my puppy killing Liverpool friend, wasup girl? **

**Chapter time.**

"You'll be fine without me for the rest of the afternoon?" I tease, putting on my coat. Naomi's watching me, arms folded as she leans against the employees' room's doorway.

"We might bankrupt without you here for a few hours." She replies, cheeky smile firmly in place. "Please, come back as soon as you can."

I stick out my tongue, wrapping a scarf around my neck. "Whatever. I know you'll miss me."

"Of course I will."

I smile. "That's better."

It's Saturday afternoon and Naomi told me I could leave if I wanted to get ready for tonight's cocktail. Not that I'm particularly eager about it.

"So, are you excited?" She asks as if on cue, gathering her hair up in a bun. "About tonight?"

I shrug. "Not really. Those cocktails are kind of all the same- it gets boring after a while."

"Yeah, I can understand that." She lets out a small chuckle. "Not that I've ever been to anything as fancy as that. I'd probably look pretty out of place." She gestures to her tattoos, smiling.

"Are you kidding? I'm sure you'd look gorgeous." I reply, distractedly checking my phone.

_Really Emily_?

Naomi clears her throat and I've never been this happy to see Cook when he enters the room, popping the collar of his jeans jacket. "Red, your sister's just arrived. And fuck me if she doesn't look hotter than in my memories." He whispers not so subtly, earning him an eye roll from Naomi.

"You saw me like two days ago dipshit." Katie's familiar lip fills the room as she makes her appearance, smacking him behind the head but I can see she's fighting a grin. "You ready Em? We need to do something with your hair."

"The fuck? My hair's just fine Katie." I reply defensively, playfully glaring at Naomi when she lets out a giggle.

"Whatever. Let's move bitch. We want Richard to find you irresistible, don't we?"

Cook gives me an intrigued look as Naomi looks down, frowning.

"Who's Richard, Red?"

I don't have time to open my mouth before Katie starts talking again. "It's her boss but the sneaky little bitch here has been sleeping with him for the past year. Way to go sis!"

_Oh my God._

I feel myself blushing profusely, realizing this makes me sound like a horrible slut.

"Shut up Katie."

Cook doesn't let it go, wriggling his eyebrows. "Wow Red, didn't know you had it in you."

"Yeah, well..." I answer awkwardly, fidgeting with my gloves.

I lock eyes with Naomi but she looks away, stuffing her hands in her jeans pocket.

I feel like punching Katie for blurting that stuff out in front of Naomi and Cook.

Instead, I quickly walk towards her, grabbing her by the elbow.

"Come on big mouth." I mumble through gritted teeth. "Let's go."

"Gee, someone's impatient." Katie wriggles her arm out before smoothing the front of her jacket. "Ok losers, we're leaving."

She waves at Naomi and Cook, the latter making a disgusting thrusting motion with his pelvis, winking at Katie.

"Well...um, I'm going to go now... See you tomorrow?" It comes out much more hopeful than I intended it to and for an odd reason, I almost feel like apologizing to Naomi for what Katie said.

Cook engulfs me in one of his famous hugs. "Have fun Red. Say hi to Richard for me." He adds, winking again.

I nod stiffly, waiting for Naomi to look up.

When she does, she's smiling, but I can tell it's forced by the way her eyes are not lighting up like they usually do. To be honest, it completely confuses me.

"Bye Emily. Have fun."

I furrow my eyebrows, hesitantly grinning back. "Bye."

Katie's waiting for me to leave the restaurant and as I walk out the door, I have the nagging feeling I just did something wrong.

OOOOOO

The limo pulls out in front of the Waldorf, the chauffeur quickly getting out of the car to open my door.

I gather my dress in one hand, grabbing my clutch with the other as I step into the cold air.

"Thank you Ben."

He smiles and I notice for the first time how green his eyes are. "You're welcome miss Fitch-"

"I've told you a million times to call me Emily."

He just nods with another gentle smile, silently letting me know that as much as I tell him, he'll always call me miss Fitch anyway, "- and Mr. Richard told me to let you know he'd already be there when you arrived."

"Ok. Have a nice evening Ben."

He tips his hat. "You too miss."

As I enter the lobby, I quickly make a right, perfectly knowing my way around the hotel- we've had countless cocktails and formal events here.

I can hear voices and echoes of classical music grow louder as I approach two huge golden double doors. Just as I'm about to get inside, a guy with the hotel's uniform seemingly magically appears at my side.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you? This is a private event. If you're looking for the dining room, it's on the other side of the lobby."

His tone is overly condescending and I scoff, mustering my best bitch look. "First", I pause, checking his name tag, "Henry, do you think I'd really be looking for the dining room and its cheap buffet whilst wearing _that_ dress?"

His eyes nervously flicker down to my dress before meeting mine again.

"And second, I'm here with Richard Johnston." His expression instantly changes into a respectful albeit slightly fearful one. "So you might as well just let me in."

"Yes, yes, sure, I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding miss." He opens the door for me, going as far as making a ridiculous bow.

I smirk, walking past him as I take in how, once more, the huge reception room has been beautifully decorated for the cocktail. A bit too much for me but still, it always remains very tasteful.

There's a clear 'autumn' theme to the whole thing, swirl of orange and red ribbons run along the wall, the floor covered in what appear to be synthetic leaves in the same warm colors.

There are at least a hundred people there, most of them gathered in small groups as waiters make their way among them, offering champagne and hors-d'oeuvres.

The event- collecting funds for a children's hospital, if I recall correctly- doesn't really have anything to do with our company but Richard got himself invited so he could have a word with a man he had been trying to get a hold of in the past weeks.

And, of course, he insisted that I'd come along, arguing that it would be more believable and wouldn't look too much like a set-up if I was there too.

I figured this would be a great opportunity for free drinks and amazing food- you have to give the Waldorf's chefs some credit- and that I would be able to leave before Richard would get too tipsy and try to bring me back to his place. Or worst, come to mine.

I haven't been in the mood to see him in the last week. It had never really bothered me before but now I can't seem to ignore the fact that what I've been doing is wrong. On so many levels.

I slightly shake my head to get rid of those thoughts when a guy wearing a smoking comes behind me, taking the small fur coat off of my shoulders.

I slip a tip in his hand and he nods, bringing my coat to the cloakroom I know to be at the far end of the reception room.

The dress I'm wearing is long and black, strapless, very simple but Richard had it custom made so it really fits me beautifully, if I dare say so myself. To top it all, I'm wearing the diamond necklace he gave me and Katie went for a very dramatic red lipstick.

I take a quick look around, recognizing here and there some people I've met before, but Richard is nowhere to be seen.

I grab a champagne glass from a tray nearby, taking small sips as I observe the crowd.

Mostly women with outrageously flashy jewellery and men with gray temples and big wallets.

But then again, I think as I let one of my hands trail on the diamonds resting above my collar bones, I'm one of them. I'm one of those women.

The thought, for the first time in my life, fills me with a profound sense of uneasiness but, like before, I don't have much time to dwell on it because a deep voice is suddenly calling my name from somewhere on my left.

"Emily!" I turn my head, sighing when I see Richard waving with a grin, surrounded by at least a dozen other people.

I make my way towards them, pulling out my best business smile.

Richard introduces me to everyone, mostly people he's work with before or people he met back in college, and I shake their hands, instinctually knowing when to throw a little comment to stroke their egos.

Richard gives me a discrete, satisfied smile when the man our whole presence here revolves around laughs loudly at something I just told him.

I look away, uncomfortable with his approbation.

The rest of the evening is, unsurprisingly, pretty boring and after countless mundane conversations, I find myself sitting at the bar, distractedly checking my cell phone, a dry Martini in hands.

A woman beside me has been ranting on and on about all the amazing trips she made to Europe or whatnot, and I can't help but smile to myself when I think of Naomi who has probably seen much more than this woman ever will.

I down the rest of my drink, deciding I've had enough of those people for one night.

Getting off my stool, I notice Richard talking with a small group of men.

His tie is loose and just by the redness of his nose, I know he's probably a bit more than tipsy.

_Fucking hell_.

I start to make my way towards him, intent on telling him I'm leaving, but he sees me first, his eyes instantly lighting up as he motions for me to come to his side.

I reluctantly oblige, surprised when he roughly grabs me by the waist.

"Emily, meet everyone." He slurs some names. "Mostly guys I play poker with."

They all nod, the ice in their drinks clinking and I vaguely wonder how many they've all had already.

"Everyone, this is Emily. She... works for me."

I hate the pause he makes in the middle of his sentence. I have the feeling all of his little buddies perfectly know what it means. I try to get away from him but he just takes a sip of his drink, pulling me closer to his side.

"Richard, I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving."

"Already? But we didn't even get to have fun yet." He replies with a sly smile. I can't believe he's doing this in front of all those people.

"Richard, you're clearly drunk. Just let me go. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Oh, so this is the feisty redhead you told us about, uh?" A man with blond hair chips in, earning some dirty chuckles from the others.

"She's even hotter than you described her." Another one adds, eyeing me with appreciative eyes. "Jackpot Rick, jackpot."

They all look at me as if I'm nothing but a piece of meat and I feel a lump rising in my throat.

I've never felt this humiliated.

I will Richard to defend me because I can't seem to be able to utter a word but instead, he gives my bum a small slap. "Doesn't she look amazing in that dress? I knew it would make her ass look incredible."

"It sure does." The same blond man replies, quickly licking his lips.

I feel myself burning under their prying eyes and I muster the last ounce of dignity I have left, straightening my back as I practically rip Richard's hand off my waist.

"Fuck you Richard."

I turn on my heels, willing myself not to cry in front of those pigs. Fuck them.

"Baby, come back, we were just joking..."

I ignore him, heading straight to the door.

In the lobby, I keep my head low, desperately holding on to my clutch as I feel my eyes welling up.

_Fuck him. _

When I get outside, I realize I forgot to grab my coat and instantly start shivering. The snow melted fast after Wednesday but the cold air didn't disappear.

The tears in my eyes blur the city lights as I look for a cab but they all seem to be already taken.

The humiliation is still burning and before I know it, hot tears are silently streaming down my face.

I wipe them furiously, grabbing my phone in my bag.

I think of calling Effy or Katie but I know they were busy tonight.

After scrolling through my contacts for a moment, knowing deep down I don't have anyone else I'm close to, my eyes land on a name.

Naomi.

I click on it, an address appearing on the screen of my phone. Her apartment's address. She gave it to me earlier this week saying that every employees of the restaurant had it. Since she doesn't have a cell phone, she at least wants us to be able to contact her in case of emergency.

I step closer to the street, insistently waving for a cab until one stops in front of me, the driver rolling down the passenger seat's window.

His eyes widen a bit when he takes in my state but he doesn't question further.

"Where to?"

Giving him the address, I wince when I hear how husky my voice got.

The ride is awkward; I can feel the driver's eyes on me as I try to hide my tears and I almost ask him to stop at least ten times, wondering why I'm even heading to Naomi's apartment in the first place. She acted coldly when I left the restaurant earlier today. I can't help but hope she's not mad at me even though I know I would gladly apologize for anything I might have done wrong.

Nonetheless, the cab comes to a halt in front of a small building.

"We're here love."

The driver gives me a sympathetic look as I hand him the money.

"You can keep the change."

I get out of the car, its engine quickly fading in the night as I stand in front of a barely lit door. A dog barks somewhere and I shiver again, taking the few stairs up to a blue door.

There isn't even a lock so I push it, checking my cell phone to see that Naomi lives in apartment 2C.

I start climbing another flight of stairs, smells of food and laundry surrounding me along with loud voices, I think it's Spanish, coming from an apartment somewhere up.

Finally, I arrive on the second floor, immediately spotting the door with the chipped blue paint and the silver 2C.

I take a deep breath, feebly knocking on the door.

_God, what am I even doing here?_

After a few seconds, the door opens, a blue eye peaking from the other side of it.

"Emily? What are you doing here?"

I hear the chain being taken off before the door opens completely, revealing Naomi in black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt, hair up in a ponytail. She's wearing black, thick rimmed glasses I've never seen on her.

They make her look... beautiful.

"H-hi." I whisper, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Are you crying?" Naomi asks immediately, her blue eyes filling with concern. "Emily, are you ok?"

I nod, the lump in my throat making me choke on my words. "I'm-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here... It's stupid really..."

"What happened?" She asks, taking a step towards me, eyes searching my face as I make one final effort to keep the tears at bay.

"I- It's...I mean..." I fail to say anything else, tears spilling on my cheeks.

"Hey, hey, come here Em." Naomi murmurs softly, opening her arms.

Instantly, I close the gap between us, stumbling into her arms with a small sob.

"Naomi..."

I wrap my arms around her neck, burying my face in its crook as her arms gently circle my waist.

She smells nice, mostly soap and something I guess is just her, and I find it even harder to stifle my sobs when she starts whispering sweet nothings in my hair.

"It was just _so_ humiliating... They were all looking at me and I...I..."

It feels like I'm reliving the whole scene; their lustful looks, their rude comments, how they all congratulated Richard on his "choice", his slap on my bum.

"It's ok, you're safe here, it's ok."

"And Richard just...he didn't say a word..." I feel Naomi stiffen a bit.

I don't know how long I stay like that, wrapped in Naomi's arms as she lets me cry, caressing my hair.

I think I hear the door clicking shut behind us at some point, Naomi probably having closed it with her free hand.

Finally, the tears subside enough for me to slightly pull away, wiping at my nose. I keep my other hand on her shoulder, Naomi not letting go of me.

I look up, meeting her eyes.

"Hi." She smiles softly, slightly tilting her head to the side.

The corners of my lips lift up a bit as I sniffle loudly. "Hi."

"Follow me."

She takes my hand, gently tugging me with her.

Her apartment is painted in a soft yellow, and it's small but as bright as I would have expected it to be.

Pictures of Naomi and various other people seemingly from all over the world are hanging off the walls and a rather large bookcase is taking up one of the walls.

Naomi sits me down on an old-looking brown couch, never letting go of my hand. Her thumb is rubbing small circles on the inside of my wrist and I find it oddly soothing.

"Just stay there. I'm going to get you a cup of tea. My mom used to say tea could solve a lot of things." She adds, smiling down at me.

I chuckle, sniffling again. "I would love that."

"I'm going to need my hand back though."

I realize I'm still tightly holding her hand in mine so I let it go hastily, blushing.

"God, sorry."

She grins again, eyes twinkling playfully. "Gimme a sec."

When Naomi disappears in the kitchen, I look around, noticing with a smile the Nikon camera resting on top of the tiny television.

Apart from that, there's a coffee table along with a lamp and a 'Keep calm and carry on' poster.

I spot a couple of brown boxes in the corner of the room and I wonder what they're doing there since I recall Naomi telling me she moved here almost two years ago.

I make a mental note to ask her later when I hear her coming back, carrying two steaming mugs and a blanket under her arm.

"There you go." She hands me one of the mugs, settling the other on the table as she gently wraps the blanket around my shoulders.

"You looked cold." She explains, sitting beside me before grabbing her own mug.

I realize I was indeed shivering and instantly feel very grateful for the thick wool against my skin.

I take a sip of my tea, watching as Naomi folds a leg under her.

"You probably wonder why I'm here..." I start, keeping my eyes down, a finger trailing along the rim of my mug.

"Of course I do, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Naomi replies softly, tightening the blanket around me before gently lifting up my chin to get me to meet her eyes. "You know I'm here for you, right?"

I feel a flutter somewhere in my stomach. "I know."

My answer comes in a whisper and we just stare at each other for a moment. I'm the first one to look away, clearing my throat.

I take a deep breath, knowing I trust Naomi enough to tell her what happened earlier.

"A few of Richard's friends made... rude comments on me tonight."

Naomi frowns, putting her mug back on the table. "What do you mean?"

"They just... kept telling Richard how much of a good catch I was and the way they were looking at me..." I swallow, trying to prevent my voice from shaking "I was so embarrassed... I've never felt this _ashamed_ in my entire life..."

I'm aware what I'm saying probably doesn't make a lot of sense but Naomi seems to get the essential of it, probably connecting this with some of the things Katie mentioned this morning.

"You have absolutely no reason to be ashamed of yourself Emily." There's an edge to her voice, one I've never heard before and I'm surprised to see her jaw clenching. "Whatever those people have told you, I want you to forget it."

I nod, my heart pounding hard in my chest when Naomi leans in, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, never looking away. "You're worth so much more than them. Never, ever doubt that again."

Her tone is so passionate I feel myself flushing under her intense gaze.

"You think I can do it?" I ask in a quiet voice, not sure what I'm referring to.

Hesitantly, I grab her hand, fascinated by how hers and mine seem to fit together. It's not perfect- her fingers are much longer than my own and one of my rings is big and kind of gets in the way- but it feels comforting, familiar even.

"I think you can do anything." Naomi replies, eyes trained on our hands.

It makes me grin, a warmness steadily spreading through my body.

We stay in silence for a moment and I find myself getting less and less upset about what happened earlier. Much calmer in the cosiness of Naomi's apartment.

"Do you know what we should do?" Naomi asks me, grabbing the remote control on the coffee table.

I smile, lifting my eyebrows. "I have the strong feeling you're about to tell me."

"We should watch trash t.v. That's usually what I do when I need to change my mind."

"Trash t.v?"

"I'm sure you'll find it pretty therapeutic." She's looking at me, blue eyes expectant, and I can't really refuse.

"Works for me."

Her smile grows bigger, mine mirroring it as she turns on the t.v.

I shift a little on the couch, careful to keep our hands intertwined between us.

After a little zapping, we stumble upon reruns of Jersey Shore and Naomi turns her head towards me, squeezing my hand. "This is what you need at the moment."

OOOOOO

It turns out Jersey Shore has never been as funny as it is now, watching it with Naomi.

"Oh God, she took him back!"

I chuckle. "Yeah, that girl really has no back bone." I watch as Snookie then throws up in the hot tub. "And no class."

Naomi bumps our shoulders together, snorting before covering her mouth with her hand. "I don't even want to think about how much they're paid for this..."

"Fucking too much if you want my opinion." I pull on the blanket, bringing it over my knees. Somewhere between the first and the second episode, Naomi scooted closer to me, pulling the blanket over our knees. "Quit hogging the blanket Campbell."

She raises an eyebrow, biting her bottom a lip but I know she's trying not to smile. "You're the one pulling at it like a mad woman."

I gasp exaggeratedly. "What? That's so unfair. I had the blanket first."

"And it's _my_ blanket."

"I- Well..." I start, unable to find a quick argument. "Damn it, you win."

"You're a winner in my heart too, Emily." Naomi replies in an overly sappy voice, putting a hand on her chest.

I shove her playfully. "Oh, shut up."

We both giggle.

Naomi stretches herself, arms above her head and my eyes are, as usual, immediately drawn to her tattoos. Her shirt slightly rises up and I think I catch a glimpse of ink on her hip too.

"Jesus, what time is it?"

I grab my phone. "Eleven thirty." I didn't realize it was that late and I suddenly feel bad for monopolizing Naomi's time for so long. "Shit, I didn't mean to stay that long. I should probably go."

"You can spend the night if you want." Naomi mumbles, a blush covering her cheeks. "I mean, you don't have a coat. Plus, it's late and you had a bad evening and-"

"I'd love to."

Naomi abruptly stops her rambling, lifting up her eyes. "Yeah?"

I nod. "Yeah."

Her grin is so big I feel like I just made the best decision in the entire world.

"Plus, the Jersey Shore marathon doesn't end for another hour. I couldn't possibly miss that, now could I?"

She shakes her head. "It would be a real sin."

"Can I just... borrow some clothes?" I look down at the dress I'm still wearing, the one Richard gave me, and I know I'm going to throw it away first thing in the morning.

"Sure. They're probably going to be a bit too big for you though..."

"It's fine, I'm the one who invited myself over after all."

"You did not. I invited you." Naomi gets up, clapping her hands together. "Now, here's the plan: you change into comfy clothes, I make us some popcorn and we go back to being couch potatoes."

I chuckle; I love how Naomi's so simple and spontaneous. It's a welcome change.

"Sounds perfect to me."

She smiles, grabbing our empty mugs on the table. "Awesome. Now let me get you some clothes."

Naomi's back after a few minutes, handing me a pair of gray sweatpants and a red hoodie.

"I hope this will do."

"I'm sure it will."

"Good. If you need anything, just tell me."

She goes to make her way back to the kitchen but I call out her name, waiting before she's facing me again.

"Thank you for...everything. I'm grateful to have someone like you in my life." I trail off, eyes flickering down then back up. I've never been good with expressing feelings with words so I hope Naomi knows how she just made everything better after tonight's events.

"The feeling's mutual."

We smile, Naomi turning around again but before I know it, words stumble out of my mouth.

"You look great with your glasses on."

Once more, she spins on her heels but this time, she's rubbing the back of her neck, grinning bashfully as her other hand self-consciously touches her glasses. "Thank you."

I nod, inwardly cursing myself for how random that sounded. I'm about to start making my way to the bathroom but it's Naomi's turn to call my name.

"Yes?"

She fidgets with her bangles, eyes not meeting mine. "For what it's worth, you looked beautiful tonight. Not just because of your dress but because...well, you just looked great..."

I blush, heart skipping a beat at Naomi's clumsy compliment.

We stand awkwardly in front of each other for a moment before I gesture to the bathroom's door.

"I'm gonna..."

"Yes, god, sorry. Please, go ahead."

Locking the door behind me I quickly take off my dress, roughly gathering it in my hands before dropping it beside the sink.

I slip into Naomi's clothes, not even bothering to roll up the sleeves. I love how soft her hoodie is; you can tell it has been washed countless times before.

Sounds are coming to me from the kitchen and I realize that here, in Naomi's apartment, about to watch bad t.v and eat pop corn, despite all the shit that happened tonight, I'm the happiest I've been in a while.

I'm still aware I'll have to face Richard when Monday comes but for now, I smile to myself in the mirror, deciding things could definitely be much worst.

**So... yeah.**

**How was it? I felt like it was... boring? I don't know. I'm not entirely satisfied but at the same time, I don't think I could have done better.**

**Next chapter: Naomi joins the Glee club. (...) AND, it's Emily's farewell party from all The Bengal Tiger's crew! Woop. What could possibly happen? I wonder...**

**Mucho lovin' from Canada. I'm off to shovel some snow now. (Yeah, we do live up to some stereotypes.) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey!**

**My initial plan was to reply to all of you guys because honestly, I've had so many amazing reviews I feel like I could just marry every single one of you. And then we'd cuddle and talk about Naomily. (Yup, that's my vision of what my marriage will be.) BUT, unfortunately, I've spent the last couple of days in Montréal and therefore, didn't get to reply. Tragedy! So I figured you'd all be happier with a new chapter- am I right or am I right?**

**But thank you! I lurve you all.**

**Just some quick things: first, someone said I gave them a lady boner and I almost chocked on my tea- too funny. And I'm flattered, obviously. Second, HELLO to all of my Canadian buddies! For those of you who were wondering, I'm from Québec. Represent.**

**Oh God. I'm ranting.**

I wake up, sticking my hand out of the covers to grab my phone on the nightstand but to my surprise, I only end up grabbing a whole lot of nothing.

Grunting, I push myself up, squinting when a bright ray of sunshine hits my face.

As I rub the last remnants of sleep out of my eyes, I slowly remember that I'm not in my bedroom but in Naomi's. The realization makes me smile lazily.

Now that I'm getting a better look at it, the room couldn't belong to anyone else but Naomi.

It's painted in a vivid green and despite it being pretty small, the sun comes in abundantly through a window that's taking the most part of one of the walls.

I get up, shivering a bit when my feet hit the cold wood.

Noticing some pictures on one of the shelves nailed to the wall, I take a couple of steps towards them.

The first one I see is one of Naomi standing beside an elephant, a hand resting on its trunk. She has Ray-Bans on, or something quite similar, along with a huge back-pack, a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt and I can't help but grin at how blissfully happy she looks.

_Vietnam, 2009_ is written in a neat handwriting at the bottom of the picture.

I place it back on the shelf, absentmindedly tracing Naomi's face with my thumb.

Bringing my gaze back to the rest of the bedroom, I notice a huge world map hanging above the bed. Colourful pins are scattered all over it and I assume they all represent a place Naomi has been to.

The amount is pretty impressive and for the next ten minutes, I find myself reading the names of various countries, trying to imagine Naomi in every single one of them.

Maybe we'll get to travel together one day.

I bite my bottom lip, grinning at the thought.

"Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?"

I inhale sharply, quickly turning around to find Naomi standing in the doorway, a big mug in her hands. Her hair's wet, kept out of her face by a thin headband and she's wearing an old David Bowie t-shirt with a pair of washed out, black skinny jeans. As usual, she's barefoot.

Her eyes widen as she takes a few steps forward. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's fine. I was actually looking at your world map."

"That's just a silly thing I've been doing since I started travelling." She hands me the mug and I smile gratefully, taking a much needed sip.

"I don't think it's silly. On the contrary, it would probably make anyone jealous."

She grins somewhat bashfully, stuffing her hands in her jeans' pockets. "I don't know about that..."

"Oh come on", I bump our shoulders together, trying to catch her eyes, "this map is amazing. End of conversation."

Naomi chuckles but I can see her ears have turned a faint shade of pink. It makes me want to say a hundred more nice things on her map. "If you say so." She then gestures towards the bed, "How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you." I take another sip of coffee. "What about you though? You didn't have to take the couch, I would have been perfectly good on it."

Naomi shrugs with a reassuring smile. "I slept just fine. I wouldn't have wanted you to sleep on it anyway; it's one of the most uncomfortable couches in Manhattan, possibly the universe so..."

I raise my eyebrows. "You should have told me! Shit, I'm so sorry, I-"

Naomi puts a warm hand on my forearm, the unexpected electric feeling I feel spreading on my skin abruptly cutting me off.

"Believe me, I've slept on much, much worse than an old couch." She replies, winking. "And that includes, amongst many others, the back of a truck with a cow and a pretty rocky beach in Australia."

I let out a laugh. "Seriously?"

She nods, giving my arm a small squeeze before letting go. "Seriously."

"Well I don't feel that guilty for letting you sleep on the couch then." I tease. "You're tough."

"You should feel a bit guilty though. My back is kind of sore this morning."

She pouts jokingly and without thinking, I place my hand on her lower back, rubbing small circles there. "Aw, poor baby."

I feel her tense under my touch and I clear my throat awkwardly, quickly removing my hand even though the warmth I could feel through the thin material of her t-shirt made my fingers oddly tingly.

Naomi runs a hand through her hair and I can hear her exhale deeply. "Can I cook you anything for breakfast?"

"Toasts will be just fine." I reply, not wanting to bother her any more than I already did. "You don't have to cook for me all the time you know." I add with a cheeky smile.

"Oh please. It's Sunday morning, we can't just have boring little toasts." She motions for me to follow her to the kitchen. "Plus, I love cooking for you."

The last part makes me blush, my smile growing even wider than it was before and I'm glad that Naomi has her back turned on me.

"What do you have in mind?" I ask curiously as we enter the kitchen, taking in my surroundings. A small wood table with blue chairs and an old yellow fridge along with small potted plants of various herbs resting on the windowsill above the sink create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Naomi bends down to retrieve a frying pan from a drawer under the stove. "Eggs?"

"Yes!" I nod a bit too enthusiastically and Naomi chuckles, dropping the pan on the counter as she opens the fridge's door.

"Eggs it is then."

She takes out a couple of eggs along with milk and butter.

"Can I help?" I ask, making my way towards Naomi until I'm standing right next to her, watching as she expertly starts cracking the eggs on the side of a bowl. "You're good."

She gives me a sideway glance along with an amused grin. "As much as I think you being impressed by this is adorable", I swallow, ignoring the flutter in my chest, "I'm only cracking eggs. I'm pretty sure anyone could do it."

I shake my head. "You could be surprised by my lack of skills."

"You can't be that bad." She bumps our hips together. "Come on, show me what you got." She hands me an egg and I take it reluctantly, raising my eyebrow, glad when she starts giggling.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll take my chance."

I roll my shoulders exaggeratedly. "Let's do this."

As I predicted it, I crack the egg too forcefully, half of the shell ending up in the bowl.

"See? I'm a lost cause."

When I turn my head around, Naomi's still giggling, eyes twinkling in the sunlight coming from the window. "You kind of are."

"Told you." I reply with a smile, taking the shell out of the bowl. "Guess I'll have to find someone who can always cook for me then."

"Guess you'll have to." Naomi counters quietly, taking the shell out of my hand to put it in the garbage. "But if you want, I'll teach you."

"Teach me what?"

She tilts her head to the side, grabbing the whisk. "How to crack eggs."

"I'd love that."

We both grin, staring at each other for a moment before Naomi starts to mix the eggs with the milk.

Weirdly enough, I think as I distractedly watch Naomi cook, making plans with her makes me happy. Even if it's only about cracking eggs together.

Naomi takes some chive from one of the plants she has on the windowsill, cutting it before she drops the pieces in the omelette mix.

She then adds salt and pepper, moving the bowl towards the stove. "Done!"

I grin, hopping on the counter as she drops the mix in a pan, turning the oven on. "At what time do we have to be at the restaurant?"

"Noon. We're only opened until five on Sundays so your last day will be a pretty short one."

I stuff my hands in the front pocket of the hoodie I'm still wearing- Naomi's hoodie- a strange sadness slowly invading me. "Oh, ok."

Naomi frowns. "Is there anything wrong?"

I shrug, her concerned eyes making my heart swell. "No... Well, it's just..." I stop, not wanting to sound ridiculous. "The week has gone by so fast you know?"

Naomi nods, her eyes flickering down to the pan before she brings them back up to meet mine. "I know."

"And... I'm aware my presence at the restaurant must have reminded you every day of why I was actually there but I- I've had a wonderful time with you guys. It's something I won't forget."

Once again, I probably failed to express in words what I was really feeling but I just hope that Naomi knows I really won't forget. That she's probably the one thing I'll remember the most.

Naomi smiles softly, her blue eyes so intense I have to look down, my gaze landing on her tattoos. "I won't forget either."

The air in the kitchen is charged with something I can't quite pinpoint and I'm the first one to move, awkwardly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Plus, you'll lose my expertise in the kitchen." It's a lame joke but it's enough for Naomi to chuckle.

"I don't know how I'll survive this loss."

She gives me a cheeky smile and I stick out my tongue. "You won't."

Naomi lets out a throaty laugh, turning the stove off before gesturing to a cupboard on my left. "Very clever miss Fitch. Now can you grab two plates please?"

I hop off the counter, turning around to grab the plates.

I put them on the table, Naomi waiting until I'm done to put generous portions of scrambled eggs in both of the plates.

I go to grab us some forks but at the same time, Naomi moves in the same direction and we end up colliding into each other.

Naomi puts a hand on my forearm. "Oops, sorry."

"No harm done." I look up, chocking on my words when my eyes land on her lips- I didn't realize we were standing so close to one another.

For a fleeting moment, my eyes are glued to her lips, almost mesmerized by the way Naomi's tongue quickly darts out to lick them.

For a fleeting moment, I almost feel like I want to... kiss her.

I don't have much time to dwell on this unexpected thought though when I hear someone unlocking the front door.

Faintly shaking my head, I rapidly take a few steps away from Naomi, unable to meet her eyes.

"Blondie, you in there?"Cook's loud voice resonates in the small apartment, "I bought the stuff you wanted for Red's surprise farewell party tonight! Thought I'd drop that shit at your place on my way to the gym and-"

Cook stops dead in his tracks, eyes widening comically when he notices me standing in the kitchen.

"Oh fuck."

I chance a glance in Naomi's direction, smiling when she scowls in what I can't help to think is a pretty cute way as she walks towards Cook until she slaps him behind the head.

"Damn it Cook! It was supposed to be a bloody surprise!"

Cook rubs his head. "Fuck Blondie, relax, it's not like I knew Red was going to be here."

"Still, now the whole thing is ruined."

I stifle a laugh when Cook gives her a sheepish look, lightly touching the back of Naomi's hand until she meets my eyes.

"Naoms, I'm good. Just the fact that you guys want to throw me a farewell party is already enough for me."

Her hand brushes back against mine. "I wanted it to be perfect."

"It will be, I'm sure." I grin, hoping the blush I feel creeping up my cheeks isn't too obvious. "If you want, I can even fake a surprised look when I get there."

She chuckles. "That won't be necessary."

Cook claps his hands together, startling me- I almost forgot he was there. "Watcha having for breakfast ladies? Because whatever it is, I want in."

Naomi sighs, rolling her eyes before winking my way. "Eggs. Want some?"

Cook nods, instantly sitting at the table. "Sure thing Blondie. By the way, what the fuck is Red doing here?" A toothy smile appears on his face. "Oh fuck, you guys shared some lady lovin', didn't you?"

Naomi slaps him again. "We didn't Cook. Now eat in silence before I kick you out of my place. I don't know why I even gave you a key in the first place."

"I'm sorry Naomikins." He bats his eyelashes, grabbing her hand. "Don't kick me out."

She laughs, wriggling her hand out of his grip. "Fine, fine. There you go, big baby." She serves him a plate, putting the pan in the sink afterwards.

When she comes back at the table, she grabs her plate and sets it down next to me even though there are plenty of other free, less cramped places to sit. "Come on, make room for me Fitch." She flashes me a playful smile before bringing her attention back to something Cook is telling her.

I watch as she unconsciously folds a leg under her body, something that has become so familiar in the last week, my lips quirking upwards when her knee comes to rest lightly against my thigh.

OOOOOO

"Oh God, are you trying to kill me?" I mumble, rubbing my stomach as I put on my coat in the entrance of The Bengal Tiger. "I ate way too much."

Thomas laughs beside me, retrieving my gloves from where I dropped them on the floor before handing them to me. "You were the one who took two full plates of chicken mango rice."

I nod, smiling as I put on my gloves. "I guess I had it coming."

The night has been unbelievably fun- Naomi, Cook, JJ, Thomas and Lara had invited Effy and Katie and cooked me a gargantuan dinner.

Even though the surprise part failed due to Cook this morning, Naomi still managed to come up with an unexpected cake she had made especially for the occasion and took very compromising pictures of me wearing one of those awful birthday party hats. Cook had randomly bought them at the store along with the things Naomi had asked him to and we all ended up striking ridiculous poses with the hats on for the pleasure of a giggling Naomi behind her Nikon's lens.

"Let's go get fucked!" Cook shouts, grabbing Katie's hand as they both exit the restaurant, both slightly swaying.

I had my fair share of wine too and I can feel the light buzz coursing through my body.

"You up for the club Em?" Effy asks me, taking a cigarette out of her purse.

I shrug, briefly locking eyes with Naomi who's talking with JJ. She smiles gently and I smile back before looking down, biting my bottom lip.

"Em?"

I look up. "What?"

"The club? You up for it?"

"I don't know Eff... This might not be very professional..."

Effy scoffs, nudging me towards the door. "Please. As if you've been even remotely professional since you started working here."

I frown, pushing the restaurant's door as we both exit in the cold night. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She lights up her cigarette, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You know what I mean."

"No Eff, I really don't." My mind is kind of hazy from the alcohol and I'm really not in the state to solve any of Effy's riddles.

"I'll let you figure it out then. It's going to be much more interesting this way."

She raises one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows before making her way towards Katie and Cook who are currently trying to hail a cab.

With Effy's help, we get two cabs in less than five minutes, the eight of us splitting up in two groups after agreeing to meet in a club Katie knows, a couple of blocks away from the restaurant.

The cab ride is pretty uneventful- Katie sits in the front to give directions to the driver and I'm stuck between Lara and JJ who won't stop hand holding over my lap or tickling each other as if I'm not even there.

_Kill me now._

Finally, the cab stops in front of a brightly lit building, the huge line in front of it letting us know we've arrived to one of Manhattan's trendiest clubs.

I get out of the cab, straightening my skirt as I sigh, wondering if we'll ever get in.

"Jesus, do you think we'll even make it inside?" A voice whispers in my ear, practically reading my thoughts and I turn around, glad to find Naomi there.

She's grinning uncertainly, eyeing the line in front of us.

"I hope so."

Naomi opens her mouth to say something else but before she has the chance to, Katie motions for us to follow her at the front of the line.

People grumble as we pass by but in the end, Katie kisses the cheek of one the bouncers, shows a bit of cleavage and before I know it, we're all heading inside, Cook cheering loudly as JJ gives an uncomfortable smile to the group of people we just shifted.

Naomi chuckles behind me as we go up a flight of stairs, the music growing louder and louder until we arrive on a completely packed dance floor. "I definitely underestimated your sister Em."

I nod, taking off my coat as I take in the stylish marble bars and aggressive flashing lights. "Me too."

Cook makes his way through the crowd towards a miraculously empty booth and we all follow him, eager to drop our coats- the air is humid and I can already feel droplets of sweat forming on my back.

After having put all of our things in a pile at the back of the booth, Cook makes his way to the bar as we settle on the comfy leather seats. He comes back a couple of minutes later with a tray full of shots.

I've sobered up a bit since the restaurant but I'm pretty sure I'm about to get drunk all over again.

"Ok everyone, I want you all to be at fucking least a bit tipsy!"

We all cheer before downing a shot.

JJ chokes on his and Thomas has to give him small slaps on the back.

We spend the next hour mostly talking with one another, slowly but surely getting drunker as Cook keeps bringing us different types of shots and cocktails.

I've mostly been talking with Naomi, laughing at stories of Katie's antics or insisting on getting more details about her various trips.

"God, I should stop drinking now." Naomi puts down her glass on the table, tying her hair in a ponytail. I giggle, grabbing her glass before downing the rest of it. "And you, miss Fitch, should consider doing the same thing."

She's trying to sound serious but I can hear the slight slur in her voice.

"Don't be a fun sponge Naoms. The night is young." I reply, leaning my head on her shoulder. "Plus, we haven't even danced yet!"

It's Naomi's turn to giggle. "I'm not sure I can even stand at the moment, let alone dance."

"Sure you can. I'll help you."

"Ok then." Naomi gently removes my head from her shoulder before getting up. She sticks out her hand, waiting for me to take it. "Come on, let's dance."

I get up, grabbing her hand and that's when I realize that apart from JJ, everyone has already left the table.

"Jay, do you mind watching our stuff?" Naomi asks through laughter as I start tugging her towards the dance floor. I assume JJ says yes because she follows me easily in the middle of the crowd until I find us a spot.

Somewhere between the table and the dance floor, our fingers have intertwined and I reluctantly let her hand go, figuring we're not going to dance whilst holding hands.

I'm much drunker than I thought, the coloured lights blurring in front of my eyes as I start to move slowly to the beat.

For a moment, Naomi and I awkwardly dance in front of each other and I can't seem to be able to meet her eyes.

Nonetheless, I keep glancing her way, noticing how beautiful she looks in skinny jeans, black high heels and a nice grey silky top. I've never seen her dressed like that before and I feel a flutter in my stomach at the thought that she dressed up like that specially for my farewell party.

I let my eyes run along the whole length of her arm, following her tattoos until they disappear under her top, a small bit of ink reappearing on her collarbone.

It's not until I feel a warm hand on my arm that I'm snapped out of my daze, noticing that Naomi's lips are moving but unable to make out what's she's saying over the music.

I shake my head, letting her know I can't hear her and before I know, she puts a hand on my hip, leaning in so that her mouth is right next to my ear. The gesture makes me shiver and I hope she didn't feel it.

"Do you want something to drink? I could get you some water." I'm momentarily distracted by the breath washing over the shell of my ear until I realize Naomi's actually waiting for an answer.

"No, no, I'm good. Thank you."

Naomi nods, smiling softly. "Ok."

She leans back, keeping her hand on my hip.

We're much closer now, our hands brushing from time to time as we start to sway to the music.

An overwhelming need to touch her completely catches me off guard and I tentatively wrap my hands around her neck, my heart wildly beating in my chest.

Naomi brings her other hand on the small of my back, gently tugging me towards her.

There's a warmth somewhere between my legs and I inhale sharply, surprised by the unexpected reaction of my body.

_Oh my God. Calm down. You had too much to drink. Naomi's gay. It's just an experiment. That's it. You're just experimenting._

Still, I can't help but lean my forehead on her shoulder, closing my eyes.

I can feel her hand burning where it's resting on my back, heading lower painfully slowly and almost as an automatic response, I start imperceptibly grinding my hips against hers.

_Oh my God. What am I doing?_

"Em..." Naomi breathlessly whispers, slightly digging her nails in my hip. I can feel her chest heaving against mine.

I look up, meeting her dark blue eyes and without thinking, I start running my fingertips on the back of her neck, intently watching her as she shuts her eyes. "Jesus, Em..."

Just like in her kitchen this morning, my gaze lands on her lips, coated tonight with a bright red gloss.

I'm still unsure of what I'm about to do when a hand grabs my elbow, spinning me around.

I grunt, my brain foggy from the sudden movement and the lack of Naomi's warmth.

"What the fuck?"

"I need to talk to Naomi bitch. Just move." Katie moves past me to stand in front of Naomi whose cheeks have turned a faint shade of pink.

I watch with a frown as Katie practically bounces on her feet. "So I was at the bar and this girl turns around and points to Naomi, asking if she's single." My heart leaps in my throat and I take a step forward in order to hear Katie better. "At first, I was like 'How do you want me to know that? Do I look like a lezza or something?' but then, she said Naomi was obviously dancing with my twin and she wanted to know if you guys were together. I was like duh, no, my sister's as straight as they come. So now, Naomi, that chick is waiting for you at the bar!"

I turn my head around, a girl with brown hair and a nice smile waving in our direction.

Naomi frowns, biting her bottom lip. "Uh...Katie, I-"

Katie puts a hand on her hip, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Don't thank me lezzer, I know I'm awesome. Just go get some action."

Katie's words bring a weird pang of hurt somewhere in my chest and I watch Naomi as her eyes flicker down then back up, meeting mine.

"I don't know Katie, I was dancing with Emily..." She replies, eyes still locked with my own.

I look away, realizing she's only waiting for my permission to go ahead and have fun with that girl. She would just feel bad leaving me alone on the dance floor.

I shrug, plastering a fake smile on my face. "Please Naomi, it's fine! I was getting tired of dancing anyway. Plus, I think I've spotted a pretty handsome guy earlier so..."

Naomi's shoulders slump a bit, what seem to be disappointment and sadness flashing briefly in her blue orbs.

"Oh...ok then." She rubs the back of her neck, bobbing her head to herself. "I guess I'll just..." She gestures to the girl sitting at the bar.

"Yeah..." I nod, ignoring the strong desire I have to grab her hand when she brushes past me to make her way to the bar. "Have fun..."

"Yeah, have fun bitch! Am I the best lesbian wing woman or what?" Katie shouts, a look of satisfaction etched on her face. "Ok Em, now let's go find the others for another round of shots, yeah?"

I dumbly follow Katie through the crowd, looking over my shoulder to see Naomi leaning on the bar, seemingly listening to the brown haired girl. It makes me feel incredibly uneasy.

As I try not to lose Katie in the crowd, I run a hand through my hair, taking a deep breath.

_Why is this upsetting me so much?_

**Wooo. Something happened! Well, kind of.**

**I hope it was ok with you.**

**Next chapter: Emily learns that Darth Vador is her father. AND they go the Hamptons for Thanksgiving. (By the way, I wanted your opinion: should I do the Hamptons in two chapters? Probably, right? I don't know.)**

**Reviews light up my day. Love.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm ashamed. **

**I really am. It's been what, two months since my last update? That's obviously way too long and I apologize profusely for that. I was busy wrapping up my third year of med school (med school's one hell of a crazy bitch... run before you still can, RUN!). So yeah. As I said many times before, it's not the inspiration that's lacking- because my darlings, I have the rest of this story already figured out in my tiny head- but it's unfortunately time.**

**Good news is, I'm leaving for a month and a half this summer so I intent on finishing this story before that! This means June 20****th**** is our target deadline. This also means expect steady updates from now on! (Yay?... Yay!)**

**Anyway, truly sorry again and most of all, thanks to those of you who kept kicking my ass from time to time- truly appreciate it! **

**Now, on with the chapter (it's a f-ing big one. Yup yup.)**

When I walk into the office on Monday, heels clicking on the marble floor as I make my way to the elevator, I must admit it feels great to be back in my working clothes and most of all, in my element.

I'm distractedly checking my Blackberry when a pale hand offers me a coffee over my shoulder, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

I don't need to look to know who's now standing beside me.

"Good morning Eff." I say with a smirk, taking a sip of my dark coffee. "Thanks for the caffeine."

Effy shrugs, following me as we get in the elevator. "My way to welcome you back in this shithole."

I push the twenty-first floor button before giving Effy an amused look. "It's not that bad. Actually, I think I might have missed it a bit."

"Even Richard?" Effy asks bluntly, watching me expectantly.

The girl always knows the right spots to hit.

To be honest, I'm nervous to have to face him again after what happened on Saturday. I know I shouldn't be but the humiliation still lingers in my mind, weakening my usual confidence.

In front of Effy though, I put my bitch mask back on. "Even Richard. I bet I'll have him wrapped around my little finger again by the end of the day."

Effy gives me a suspicious look over her cup of coffee. "If you say so."

The elevator's doors open and I step out, readjusting the strap of my purse on my shoulder and the briefcase in my other hand. "Oh, I do."

"I'll see you for lunch?"

I shake my head. "I can't today. I have to go to The Bengal Tiger after my meeting with Richard and Freddie. To deliver our final decision and such. I told Naoms not to worry though."

Effy slightly furrows her perfectly sculptured eyebrows. "Why can't you just call them?"

I look away. "I just... feel like I should tell Naomi in person. Hopefully, I'll be coming with good news and I want to see her face when I tell her. Well, all of their faces obviously." I add hurriedly, feeling my cheeks heating up.

Effy nods, eyes narrowing, the ghost of a smirk on her lips. "Sure."

"Anyway, I'll talk to you later?"

"Absolutely."

Effy heads to her office and I'm about to do the same when Panda calls my name from the other end of the hallway, gesturing wildly.

"You're back!"

I smile, heading towards her. "Panda, how many times have I told you not to shout in the office?"

"Right. Indoor voice." Panda replies with an enthusiastic smile before pulling me into a hug.

I awkwardly pat her back before she lets me go. "Richard is already there. He wants you to meet him in the conference room."

My pulse picks up a bit but I take a small breath, straightening my blazer. "Ok, thanks Panda."

"Always, Emzy!"

I make my way towards the conference room, greeting a couple of my colleagues.

When I finally enter the room, I find Richard sitting on one of the leather seats at the end of the large glass table.

Instantly, I clench my jaw, barely acknowledging him as I take a seat as well.

I start to pull some files out of my briefcase, settling my phone on the table.

Richard clears his throat and I sigh, eyes glued on the bottle of sparkling water in front of me.

"Emily, about Saturday-"

"What?" I interrupt him abruptly, looking up to meet his surprised green eyes. I had planned to remain calmer but it appears it won't be the case. "What could you possibly have to say that would make what you did even remotely acceptable?"

He frowns a bit. "Come on Em... You know I didn't mean to be like that. I was with my friends, we were just joking around..."

I scoff. "I don't care if you were with your _friends_", I start, practically spitting out the last word, "you had absolutely no right to treat me like that Richard, no fucking right. I'm not a fucking piece of meat."

"Emily, you're overreacting." He replies flatly, watching me over his glasses. "Calm down."

For a split second, I have the overwhelming urge to slap him, unable to believe he's treating me like a hysterical woman, but fortunately for me, it's the moment Freddie chooses to enter the room, readjusting his tie.

He greets us both with a small nod before taking his place in front of me, oblivious to the fight he just prevented from escalating.

"Sorry, I'm late, Panda had forgotten to photocopy some papers." Freddie starts, opening a folder. "We can start now, if you're both ready."

There's an uncomfortable silence and when Freddie doesn't get an answer from either of us, he looks up from the papers he was reading, finally aware of the tension between Richard and I.

"Am I missing something?" Freddie asks uncertainly, twirling a pen between his fingers.

Richard is the first one to break our starring contest and I look down, taking a deep breath to try and remain professional.

_What an asshole._

"Everything's fine Freddie."

I nod. "Yes. Now if you'll let me," I continue, mustering my best business voice, "I think we're here to discuss the case of The Bengal Tiger. As you both know, I had made a deal with the owner of said restaurant, Naomi Campbell." I hand them copies of the contract. "I would spend a week working at her restaurant and if I deemed it... acceptable enough, we would consider building the hotel around her restaurant and not pressuring her into selling it. On the contrary, if the week was not satisfying, she would consider our offer of buying The Bengal Tiger."

"Perfect." Richard takes some notes before he looks up, leaning back on his chair. "I assume you're going to tell us the week you spent there was complete shit so let's just start to work on the offer we'll make to miss Cambridge."

"Campbell. It's miss _Campbell._" I correct him, annoyed. "And no, you can't just assume my week was shit."

Richard raises an eyebrow, clasping his hands in front of him on the table. "What are you trying to tell me Emily?"

I swallow, knowing that the future of Naomi's restaurant depends on how I will deal with the next few minutes. "I'm telling you, Richard, that we told miss Campbell we'd back off if the week I spent at her restaurant was satisfactory." I pause, crossing my legs. "It was."

I think back at all the great people I've met and, oddly enough, all the things I've come to learn about myself. All because of Naomi and her wonderful way of seeing life.

Richard drops his pen on the table, snapping me out of my thoughts. I can see he's far from being pleased by what I just told him. "I can't believe it. We sent you there as a formality Emily, to give miss Campbell what she wanted. There was, however, no doubt in my mind that in the end, we'd get her restaurant."

I nod, shifting on my seat. I don't like how he talks about Naomi, as if she's some kind of clueless idiot we can just play with. "I know all of that Richard but we have to play fair. A contract was signed, a contract that, if I recall correctly, was approved by both of you." I say, locking eyes with the two men sitting next to me. "We all knew what we were getting into. I worked there and now, I'm telling you that we're not going to go through with our offer to miss Campbell."

Freddie lets out a curt laugh. "You don't make the decision here Fitch."

I snort. "Maybe not, but the contract does. So I'm telling you, back off. Miss Campbell will keep her restaurant."

Freddie's about to reply but Richard waves his hand, effectively interrupting him. "Fine Emily. We'll let her keep it."

My eyes widen slightly; I was expecting a much harder battle. "You mean you won't try to buy it from her?"

Richard shrugs, taking off his glasses. "As you said, we signed a contract."

I let out a relieved breath but in the back of my mind, something tells me it has been too easy. That Richard wouldn't let go of a potential deal like that.

I decide to ignore it and instead, I quickly nod, already imagining Naomi's happiness when I'll tell her the good news. "I'm glad you see it this way too." Freddie holds a look of disbelief and I give him a smug smile. "I really think we could work _with_ The Bengal Tiger instead of against it."

Richard gives me a smile but there's something rather off about it. "Sure. Now about the details Emily, you can tell miss Campbell we'll get back to her in two weeks about a potential partnership."

"Two weeks? Why would it take so long?" Freddie chips in and I look at Richard with a questioning look, wondering the same thing.

"We need to get all the papers done and establish a rough business plan." He gets up, gathering some papers. "If we're done, I have a lunch to attend in twenty minutes. Emily, I'll get back to you when everything's ready."

"Sure."

Richard leaves and I exhale slowly, proud of how I handled the whole thing.

I grab my briefcase, eager to get to The Bengal Tiger but before I exit the conference room, Freddie calls my name.

I turn around, putting a hand on my hip. "What?"

He shrugs. "Just wanted to let you know that it's not over."

I scoff. "You're such a sore loser McClair." He goes to reply but I turn back around, already making my way out the door.

OOOOOO

When I arrive at the restaurant after a quick cab ride, it's right during lunch time and the place is insanely crowded, as usual.

Some regular customers even recognize me from last week and I greet them with a smile, trying to find someone I know to deliver them the good news.

Cooks spots me first, our eyes locking as he's taking a woman's order. Instantly, an uncertain look appears on his face but he tries to hide it with one of his infamous cocky grin. As much as I told them that everything would be fine, I know that every employee of The Bengal Tiger has probably been anxiously awaiting my arrival.

I nod towards the kitchen door, indicating Cook to round up everyone and meet me in there. He nods back, sending me a quick wink.

When I get to the kitchen, Naomi, Thomas and JJ are already in there and as soon as they notice my presence, a look of worry settles on all of their faces.

Naomi drops the knife she was using to cut some vegetables, wiping her hands on her apron before she leans against the counter, biting her bottom lip. As usual, I'm completely taken aback by how she brings beauty to a whole new level. A ponytail, a pair of ripped jeans, a green t-shirt and I swear I've never seen anyone looking that gorgeous without even trying.

The doors open behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts and Cook and Lara join the others gathered in front of me, sharing the same worried look.

I clear my throat, knowing it would be only cruel to let the suspense last any longer even though I'm bringing good news. "As you all know, I've had my meeting with Mr. Preston and Mr. McClair this morning and," I lock eyes with Naomi, "I'm unbelievably glad to announce you that we've decided to take back our offer."

There's a heavy silence in the kitchen as if they all can't really process what I just said.

"So... we're keeping The Bengal Tiger?" Lara finally asks, head cocked to the side.

I nod, unable to contain a huge smile. "Yes, you're keeping The Bengal Tiger."

This time, it doesn't take a second before the place is filled with excited squeals and I can't help but laugh when Cook lifts JJ off the ground, screaming in victory.

I watch them all hugging and congratulating each other for a while, the grin I'm sporting almost starting to hurt my cheeks when, for the second time, my gaze locks with Naomi's from across the room.

She's currently hugging Thomas but she gives me a beautiful, wide smile and it makes me wish I was the one hugging her.

Cook seems to remember I'm still here and before I know it, I hear a loud "Group hug!" before I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me, quickly followed by everyone else.

"Thank you Emily." JJ mutters in my back, his arms wrapping around my shoulders.

The hug grows tighter around me and even though it makes it slightly harder to breath, I start giggling when Cook and Thomas plant two wet kisses on my cheeks.

However, the giggling quickly dies in my throat when a hand gently grabs mine, briefly intertwining our fingers before letting go.

I'm not quite sure who the hand belongs to because we're all still messily hugging but I look up, instantly meeting Naomi's eyes. She mouths "thank you", a bashful smile playing on her lips and I smile back, aware of the faint tingling invading my right hand's fingertips.

Naomi brings her gaze towards the others, stepping away from the hug. "Ok guys, as much as I'd love to hug you all forever, we still have a lot of customers to serve so what do you say we all get back to work?"

They all nod, Cook patting me on the back before he gets out of the kitchen with Lara.

It leaves me with Thomas and JJ who resume the cooking they were doing whilst Naomi takes off her apron, putting it on one of the counters.

"Guys, I have to talk to Emily in my office. Can you handle the kitchen for a couple of minutes?"

Thomas nods, slightly turning up the small radio's volume before sending a wink in Naomi's direction. "Of course."

"Great." Naomi turns towards me, opening the door and motioning for me to go before her, like she always does. "You know the way to my office miss Fitch."

I grin. "I do, miss Campbell."

When we arrive in her tiny office, Naomi quietly shuts the door behind us, effectively cutting out the noises from the restaurant.

Somehow, being here, alone with Naomi makes me nervous so I drop my briefcase on a chair before turning around to face her with all the confidence I can muster.

"So... why did you bring me here for?" I ask, playfully raising an eyebrow.

Naomi shrugs, stuffing her hands in her pockets and I can see a light blush covering her cheeks. "I guess I just wanted to thank you in person... I'm really happy that you made keeping The Bengal Tiger possible for me."

It's my turn to shrug, willing myself to ignore the flips of my stomach at Naomi's words. "I did what I had to do Naomi... I've had a wonderful time here so of course I was going to defend the restaurant. Plus, let's face it, I'm the one who put you in this position in the first place." I add, feeling suddenly ashamed of my previous actions.

Naomi takes a couple of steps towards me, shaking her head. "Don't feel bad about that. You were just doing your job."

I bite my upper lip. "Still, I'm not particularly proud of how I acted towards you when we first met."

"It's ok Em, really." Naomi lightly touches my arm. "Plus, you didn't know back then how completely awesome I am."

I chuckle, Naomi tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a goofy smile. "You're right. I had yet to discover all the awesomeness that you are."

There's a comfortable silence after that, Naomi standing in front of me and I can't help but feel like she wants to say something else. After a few moments though, the silence remains so I gently poke her on the shoulder, grinning when her blue eyes meet mine with a questioning look.

"How have you been?" I ask, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Em, we've seen each other yesterday..." Naomi replies with an amused smile, and I can feel my face heating up. We have in fact seen each other yesterday but it somehow felt like I hadn't seen her in weeks.

"Oh, you're right..." I mumble, awkwardly shifting on the desk behind me.

Naomi must sense my discomfort because she comes to sit beside me and for a second, I'm momentarily distracted by the heat radiating of her thigh onto my nylon stockings clad one.

"Since you're asking though", she starts, playing with her bangles, "my camera broke yesterday night. I have no idea why, I just wanted to snap a couple of pictures and when I went to do it, my Nikon wasn't working..."

"Naoms, that's shit. I know how much you love that camera."

"Thank you." She lets out a small sigh. "And the worst thing is, I went to see a guy I know who owns a photography shop and he told me that the part that is broken is pretty expensive to replace nowadays. So I don't really know what to do, I'm not even sure I have that kind of money..."

Naomi looks truly upset and it makes me want to try and make it better.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." I say after a few moments, tentatively grabbing her hand. "You're pretty awesome, remember?"

At that, Naomi giggles and I feel a tingle low in my stomach, glad I did something right. I'm usually not the best one at comforting people.

"If you say so..." She replies with a smile, squeezing my hand.

I bump our shoulders together. "I know so."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Naomi's smile growing bigger, a touch of pink now colouring the tip of her ears. "Thank you Emily."

I turn my head around to face her, slightly furrowing my brows. "For what?"

For making everything better." She quickly looks down before meeting my eyes again.

My pulse suddenly picks up and it's my turn to look down. "Y-You're welcome."

Naomi squeezes my hand again before letting it go as she gets up.

"As much as I'd love to stay here with you, there's a restaurant that might need me eventually."

I nod, smoothing down my skirt as I get up as well. "And I have to get back to work too."

Naomi grabs my briefcase on the chair I dropped it on, handing it to me before opening the door.

"About Thursday, we'll still all meet here and then we'll follow Effy's car to your house?" She asks me as we step back into the crowded restaurant. "JJ keeps asking me if the plan has changed..."

I let out a small laugh. "Yup, you can tell JJ that's still exactly the plan."

Naomi smiles, walking me to the door. "Perfect. I can't wait to see you on Thursday then."

"Me too." I linger awkwardly in the doorway, not really feeling like leaving. "By the way, I'll send you all the details about my meeting by email. Richard said it would take two more weeks for him to work on a business plan though so don't worry if it takes a bit of time."

Before I know it, a soft pair of lips land on my cheek and when I look up, Naomi's smiling bashfully, this time playing with one of her rings. "Once again, thank you."

"No problem." My voice comes out huskier than usual and I clear my throat, embarrassedly looking away. "I'll see you on Thursday."

"See you Emily."

I give her one last unbelievably dorky wave before I start to make my way down the sidewalk towards the busier streets and somehow, I'm feeling slightly dizzy.

OOOOOO

"Fucking shit, here at last!" Katie huffs as she gets out of the car, instantly checking if she has a connection for her phone.

"Jesus, you're such a drama queen Kay." I mumble, getting out of the car as well as I try to stretch out my sore back. The ride is not that long but it always seems longer with Katie belting out every song on the radio.

Katie and Effy start bickering about something as I stand in front of our old beach house, memories flooding my mind.

The house is a typical New England one; white, with a porch all around it and black shutters.

I can already hear the faint sound of the waves, the beach being right behind the house, and I'm suddenly incredibly glad we decided to come here for another year.

Just as I turn around, another car parks next to Effy's, Naomi and the others not wasting a minute to get out of the obviously cramped space.

"Fuck, Fitch twins, that's one hell of a big house you have there!" Cook says, letting out a low whistle.

Lara nods, eyes widening. "Really, thanks for inviting us."

"My apartment could probably fit in your garage..." Thomas adds, sending me one of his warm smiles.

I shrug, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "It's our pleasure guys."

I'm about to ask Katie to help me get our stuff out of the car but before I can, she makes her way to the house, motioning for everyone to follow her.

"Come on bitches, it's cocktail time and you're all about to discover my killer mojitos!"

They all cheer, immediately trailing behind her. I roll my eyes before heading towards the car.

_Typical Katie._

Opening the trunk, I let out a sigh when I take in Katie's huge glittery suitcase next to Effy's and mine normal-sized ones.

I grab Katie's first, surprised by how heavy it actually is as I struggle to get it out of the trunk.

"Here, let me help you with that."

I smile, recognizing Naomi's soft voice as she takes the suitcase before putting it down on the ground.

I push a strand of hair out of my eyes, meeting her blue ones as I take the remaining suitcases out and shut the trunk.

"Thank you for rescuing me."

Naomi grins, pushing her aviators on top of her head. "Anytime."

I smile back, biting my bottom lip when I realize I've missed her and it's only been two days since we've last seen each other.

We start to make our way towards the front door, Naomi following me with Katie's suitcase.

"Your house is beautiful by the way." I hear her say behind me, seeming genuinely impressed. "I think it's in a house like this one that I'd love to settle down someday."

"Hopefully you will. And thank you." I add with a grin as I turn around to face her once we're inside the house.

"Where do I drop this miss?" Naomi asks with a small bow, motioning to the suitcase as I let out a throaty giggle.

"You can leave it there. Katie has to learn not to be such a diva."

Naomi nods, giggling as well. "Good point."

"Would you like to see your bedroom though?"

"Sure thing."

"I'll give you the biggest guest one." I lower my voice to a whisper. "Don't tell anyone that you got privileges like that. This will be our little secret."

Naomi chuckles at my playful tone, replying in a whisper too. "Don't worry, I'll be very discrete about it."

"Good." I wink. "Follow me then."

OOOOOO

It's Cook that suggests that we start our "celebrations" with a game of football on the beach and after getting everyone's approval, with admittedly different levels of enthusiasm, we all head to our respective bedrooms to get changed.

I rummage through the clothes I brought, wondering what could possibly be fitting for a game of football because there's no way I'm risking my cashmere sweater on this. I pull out a couple of skirts along with a pair of heels and my curling iron, sighing as I discard them on the bed.

After a few moments, I walk towards the wardrobe, smiling in satisfaction when I find a folded pile of some of my old clothes on one of the shelves.

I used to come down here when I had exams, back when I was in college. The place is incredibly peaceful and it helped me focus on my studying, away from the noises and activity of my parents' Upper East Side's apartment.

I grab a grey washed out NYU t-shirt and a pair of black jeans out of the pile, deciding these will do.

After getting changed, I pull my hair up in a high ponytail, making my way to the window.

The weather's gorgeous and as I distractedly watch the small waves wrinkling the surface of the sea, I realize how much I've missed this place. I should definitely come more often.

Loud voices coming from downstairs snap me out of my thoughts and after putting on a pair of battered black Converses I didn't even know I still had, I make my way out of my bedroom in order to ask Naomi if she has a hoodie she would let me borrow.

I pass by a couple of bedrooms as I head towards the end of the hallway, assuming everyone has already made their way down to the beach when I find them all empty.

There isn't a sound coming from behind Naomi's half-opened door when I arrive in front of it but I throw in a quick look inside, hoping she's still there.

I grin to myself when I find her facing away from me, seemingly looking for something in her bag, unaware of my presence.

She's quietly humming and I lean against the doorway, watching her with a smile as she pulls out a white t-shirt and a green wool sweater, putting them on the bed.

I'm about to make my presence known when Naomi starts taking off the t-shirt she's currently wearing, pulling it over her head.

My hand tightens on the doorknob and I swallow thickly, unable to move as I can't help but let my eyes trail over the length of Naomi's back.

She has a tattoo on her right shoulder blade- some kind of flower from what I can see- and it contrasts beautifully with the creamy whiteness of her skin. I also notice a small scar, just before the curve of her lower back.

Just like when we were dancing together in the club, a strong urge to touch her overwhelms me. To walk to where she's standing and run a finger over that small scar. Or simply feel the warmth of her skin under my hands.

I don't quite know what I would do exactly but the mere thought is enough for my pulse to quicken and I inhale deeply, wondering why I'm getting so worked up over a glimpse of Naomi's back.

She finally puts on her other t-shirt, effectively covering her naked skin, and I try to ignore the feeling akin to disappointment bubbling in my chest. I shake my head, taking another deep breath.

Naomi's still oblivious to my presence and I let her put on her sweater before loudly clearing my throat, making it look like I just got here.

Naomi turns around, her bright smile lighting up her face when she sees me awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Em! You're not on the beach yet?"

I smile back, toying with the hem of my t-shirt. "I would be but I realized I should probably wear something warmer so... I was wondering if you had anything I could borrow from you? Maybe a hoodie or something?"

Naomi nods, bending to retrieve a hoodie from her bag. I take a couple of steps towards where she's standing and she hands it to me, her warm fingers brushing over my cold ones. "There you go. I believe it's the one you wore last week."

"Oh, you're right! I loved it."

"You can always keep it if you want." I open my mouth to protest but Naomi continues. "I mean, at least for the Thanksgiving weekend. Since you didn't bring one yourself..." She trails off, playing with a ring on her thumb.

"Ok then. Thank you." I reply quietly, pulling the soft red material over my head. "God, I bet my hair's all messed up now." I tighten my ponytail before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious under Naomi's intense gaze. There's something I can't quite read in those blue eyes, something that elicits a flutter in the pit of my stomach.

"What?" I ask, biting my bottom lip.

Naomi hurriedly looks down. "N-nothing."

I poke her in the ribs, getting a small giggle back. "No, really, what?"

"Em, it's nothing." She gently pushes my hand away, her lips quirking upwards. "I'm just being silly."

I frown but decide to let it go. "Are you ready to go down to the beach? From all the shouting, I can tell Cook's more than impatient to start the game."

Naomi chuckles. "Lead the way."

We make our way downstairs and Naomi follows me through the sliding glass doors and onto the huge patio we have at the back of the house.

The salty air hits me as soon as we set foot outside and I close my eyes briefly before opening them again, letting the crisp wind caress my skin.

This is probably my favorite part of the whole house- my parents have bought incredibly comfy chairs a couple of years ago along with nice wooden tables, making it the perfect place to just sit in front of the ocean and think. If you're in the mood for a walk, you just have to take the patio's stairs and you end up directly on the beach, feet in the sand.

Naomi's standing beside me and I turn my head around, slightly brushing the back of my hand against hers to get her attention.

Our eyes meet and she smiles; a beautiful, content smile. "This place is gorgeous Emily. It's just so..."

"Peaceful?" I offer, unable to tear my gaze away from Naomi's face. She looks happy and I decide inviting her here probably was one of the best ideas I've had. Ever.

"Yes, peaceful." She brings her eyes back to the scenery in front of us. "The ocean always has that effect on me."

"Me too."

A piece of blonde hair is flowing freely in front of her forehead and I almost reach out to brush it away, my hand twitching at my side.

_God, what's wrong with you?_

Realizing I've been staring at Naomi for a little too long, I quickly look away, slightly shaking my head.

"Come on, let's go."

I grab her hand, tugging her with me towards the stairs and down to the beach, smiling when I hear a giggle behind me.

"I never thought you'd be this eager to play American football Em." Naomi says through laughter, my heart skipping a beat when she moves her palm against my own to intertwine our fingers.

I love how she calls it "American" football.

"There are still so many things you don't know about me Campbell." I reply cheekily, spotting Cook and the others in front of us.

"Oh, I'm sure there are." Her tone is the same as mine and for a second, I wonder if we're flirting.

OOOOOO

"That turkey was delicious Naomi!" Lara says, everyone nodding and rubbing their stomachs to show their approval. "Honestly, best one I've had in my life."

Naomi laughs, a light blush tainting her cheeks. "Thank you. It's not that hard to make though, I just followed a recipe..."

I watch with a smile as everyone starts protesting, arguing with Naomi's adorable modesty.

The table is messy, full of empty wine bottles and plates, the tablecloth in desperate need of a washing since Katie accidentally dropped half of the turkey sauce on it but despite it all, the faces surrounding me look happy.

I take a sip of wine, watching Naomi chuckle to something Thomas just said and once more, with the lights of the candles flickering on her face and the strands of hair coming out of her slightly disheveled bun, I feel like reaching out and touch her.

Maybe grab her hand. Or trace the warm skin of her lower back I saw earlier with my fingers.

I take a deep breath, taken aback by the slight pressure between my legs.

"Are you ok, Ems?" Effy asks beside me, her voice low so that no one can hear her. "You look... flustered."

I tear my eyes away from Naomi, nodding a bit too forcefully. "S-Sure. I'm perfectly good."

"Ok..." Effy replies, clearly not convinced. "I think I will call it a night everyone." She says, getting up, this time for everyone to hear.

We all follow her move, finding ourselves surprisingly exhausted from all the day's activities.

"What about cleaning?" Naomi asks, gesturing towards the table

I shrug, giving her a small smile. "Fuck that. We'll take care of it tomorrow morning."

Naomi smiles back. "Awesome idea."

I go to follow Effy and the others upstairs when I notice Naomi's not moving from her spot. I stop, hand on the stair rail. "Are you coming Naoms?"

"I think I'll just go on the patio for a while." She replies, running a hand through her hair. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not." I want to ask her if I can come too but I feel like I've been clingy enough for one day. "Goodnight then..."

Naomi looks somehow disappointed but grins nonetheless. "Good night Em."

I give her a small wave before I make my way up to my bedroom. The lights are all out but the moon seeping through the curtains is enough for me to orient myself.

Laughs are coming from the bathroom at the end of the hallway but I tune them out, riffling through my things until my fingers close around a small brown paper bag.

I open it, dropping the small thing it contains in the open palm of my hand.

Its black, shaped in an odd rectangular form; I observe it curiously, wondering how this small part can be so important in the good working of a camera. And how it can be so bloody expensive.

After Naomi broke her Nikon, I couldn't stop thinking about how she looked so goddamn sad and so, on Tuesday, I gathered some of the stuff Richard had given me- mostly jewels and a couple of handbags I hadn't planned on keeping after what happened- and sold them to a guy I know before heading to a camera shop I had noticed a couple of times before on my way home.

I'm completely clueless when it comes to the whole photography world but the guy there told me that with a Nikon that old, there usually was one part that would most likely be the one broken practically nine times out of ten.

I bought it immediately.

Putting the small part back in the bag, I decide to join Naomi on the patio. Somehow, I want us to be alone when I give it to her and with all of us gathered here this weekend, this might be our last chance to be just the two of us.

I put Naomi's hoodie back on, quickly checking my hair and make-up before I head downstairs.

Opening the sliding door, I try not to startle Naomi who's facing away from me, sitting on one of the loveseats.

I cross my arms across my chest, making my way towards her.

The night is beautiful, with a cloudless sky and an almost full moon reflecting on the water in front of us.

Naomi's sitting cross-legged, looking cute with a black beanie and an old grey hoodie I've seen on her a couple of times before.

"Hey" I whisper, sitting beside her.

Naomi turns her head around, locking eyes with me, her bright smile eliciting a flutter in my chest. "Hi there. I thought you were going to bed."

I shrug, scooting a bit closer to her. "I didn't feel like it."

"I'm glad you didn't." Naomi replies quietly, looking down before her eyes shift back to the ocean. "I've missed it so much. The ocean, I mean."

I wait for her to continue, feeling like she wants to say more.

"I used to live right next to the ocean, back in Australia. After a day of work, I would usually go on the beach, to swim or just relax and watch people surfing."

I smile, picturing a Naomi with sun-kissed skin, sitting on the sand.

"That sounds amazing."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see her nodding. "It was. When I left, I never knew I'd miss it so much." She pauses, letting out an embarrassed chuckle. "God, I bet I sound so silly. I've only been there six months after all..."

"You don't sound silly at all." I cut her off, briefly resting my hand on her knee. "As a matter of fact, before I arrived here today, I had forgotten how soothing the ocean could be... See? I didn't even live in Australia and yet, I missed the water too..." I add jokingly, bumping our shoulders together.

Naomi giggles, locking eyes with me. "For how long has your family owned this house? You seem to have great memories here."

I bite my lip, nodding. "I do, and my parents bought it when Katie and I were twelve I think. We would spend most of our summers here, either with my parents when they were not working or with my grandparents when they were."

"And what would you do?" Naomi asks, her eyes looking even bluer in the moonlight. She seems genuinely interested in something as insignificant as how I used to spend the summers of my teenage years and somehow, it feels as if a soft warmth is engulfing me. Like I'm suddenly very important.

"Well", I start, tucking my cold hands in the front pocket of my hoodie, "I would hang out with our neighbours' kids or just be lazy on the beach, with a bottle of lemonade and a good book. Nothing too glamorous to be honest."

"That sounds like something I'd love to do."

I smile. "Yeah, it was nice. But I even preferred the colder days because then, I would sit where we're sitting right now, wrapped up in a blanket, and I would read or just watch the ocean. It was my way to escape I guess."

"What's your real hair colour?" Naomi asks, a thoughtful look on her face.

"What?" I ask, slightly taken aback by how the question came out of the blue.

Naomi's cheeks instantly take a faint shade of red and she lowers her eyes, fiddling with her hands. "I was just trying to imagine you as a teen and, well... I- well, as gorgeous as your red hair look on you, I realized I didn't even know what is your real hair colour."

She finishes her sentence with a bashful smile and it makes what she just said even more adorable than it already was.

I try to ignore the delighted feeling I get from Naomi calling me gorgeous.

"Brown." I say softly and Naomi looks up, this time grinning fully. "My hair's naturally brown."

"To be honest", she leans in a bit, slightly lowering her voice in a conspiracy tone, "mine too."

I raise my eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yup. Seriously." She chuckles, poking me in the ribs. "Why do you look so surprised? My hair's way too blonde to be natural."

"No, I know but..." I shrug, poking her back, smiling when she sticks out her tongue. "I don't know... I guess blonde suits you so beautifully I never really thought about the real color."

"Oh..." Naomi slightly ducks her head in a shy manner, readjusting her beanie. "Thank you."

After a few moments, she moves on her seat, unfolding one of her legs and she ends up with her shoulder lightly touching mine. I love how I can immediately feel the warmth radiating off of her and almost instinctively, I slide even closer until our sides are pressed against one another.

The wind has picked up a bit and I involuntarily shiver, watching the wrinkles on the sea.

"Are you cold?" Naomi asks with concerned eyes, gently grabbing my wrist to take my hand out of my pocket. "God, your hands are freezing."

"I'm fine Naoms. I already told you, I have bad circulation."

Naomi wraps her hands around mine, carefully rubbing them. "Still, I won't stop trying to make them warmer."

I smile, letting my hands be handled by Naomi's soft ones.

A comfortable silence settles upon us, punctuated from time to time by the sound of a small wave reaching the shore.

I absentmindedly start to trace random patterns in the palm of one of Naomi's hands, fascinated by her slightly calloused but otherwise creamy white skin.

It's not until her breath faintly hitches in her throat that I realize how intimate the gesture is.

Quickly, I retract both of my hands, putting a slight distance between us before grabbing the small brown bag in my pocket, eager for a distraction.

Naomi gives me an intrigued look, hands awkwardly resting in her lap. "What is it?"

"This is..." I clutch the rough paper in my hand, suddenly feeling unexplainably nervous. "It's-er, just see for yourself."

Naomi raises a suspicious eyebrow, an amused grin playing on her lips as she takes the bag from my outstretched hand. "God, you're starting to scare me. I hope it's not something that-" She stops abruptly, eyes going wide when she takes in what's inside the bag.

"Em..." She trails off, dropping the small piece of plastic in her hand.

"I'm not quite sure it's the right one so don't worry, I still have the receipt and all so you can return it without a problem if I bought something utterly ridiculous..." I ramble, trying to hide how anxious Naomi's lack of reaction is making me.

_Maybe that gift is too much._

She stays silent for a while before she shakes her head, looking up to meet my expectant eyes. "I can't let you give this to me Emily. I know how expensive it is." She says in a whisper, her voice somehow raspier than usual.

"Please." I put a hand on her forearm, gently squeezing. "I really want you to have it."

Naomi frowns, eyes back on the piece of plastic in her hand. "But-"

"No but." I cut her off with a smile, relieved when she looks up, a beautiful sparkle in her eyes. "I bought it for you. As a gift. So...is it the right one?"

Naomi nods, now smiling so wide I notice a dimple on her right cheek I swear I've never seen there before. "It is. It's the perfect one Em. Thank you so much." The last words come out a bit strangled and I'm surprised to find her eyes clouded by a mist of accumulated tears.

I shift a bit closer to her, unsure of what to do. "I didn't mean to upset you..."

Naomi chuckles, quickly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You didn't. On the contrary, you have no idea how happy you just made me." I feel a swell of pride in my chest. "My mom was the one who gave me the money to get this camera and I probably should have changed it years ago but... When it broke and I knew I couldn't afford to repair it, let alone buy a new one, I... I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you so, _so_ much Emily. It means the world to me."

Naomi sounds so genuine, her eyes holding something I can't quite pinpoint and I have to look down to my lap, a blush creeping up my cheeks.

"I'm so glad you're happy."

A silence falls upon us and I realize how actually close Naomi and I are sitting, knees brushing on the suddenly very small loveseat.

I can smell the delicate floweriness of her shampoo and I swallow thickly, playing with the hem of my hoodie.

Naomi moves beside me, bringing our knees even closer. "I can't believe you even found the piece in the first place. I heard not every shops still sell it."

I look up, surprised to find Naomi's face mere inches away from my own. "Luck of the beginner I guess." I reply, my voice huskier than before.

"I think there's another reason." Naomi whispers, raising a hand up to gently push a strand of hair away from my forehead and I will my heart to stop beating so wildly.

"What is it?" I ask, aware of the imperceptible tremble of my hands and the insane fluttering in my stomach.

"You're amazing Emily."

The unexpected answer brings a heat throughout my whole body and I meet Naomi's soft blue eyes for a second before I quickly look down to her lips, instinctually licking my own.

Just like the other day in her kitchen, the realization strikes me with so much clarity I nearly forget to breathe for a couple of seconds; I want to kiss Naomi.

I want it badly.

But this time, there's no Cook to barge in the kitchen or Katie to obliviously interrupt us.

There's no excuse not to.

Naomi's breath has become slightly shallower and I can see her chest going up and down as we look at each other.

The tip of her nose is pink from the cold, her discrete black eyeliner slightly smudged under her left eye, probably because she cried a bit earlier, and the only thought running through my mind is how I've never found anyone more gorgeous than Naomi Campbell at this precise moment.

"Emily..." Naomi says almost breathlessly, tilting her head to the side. "Can I..."

I know what she's asking and I nod quickly, surprised when my voice comes out shakily. "Yes... just..."

She leans in and it feels like my heart is about to burst out of my chest.

Naomi must hear the shift in my breathing because she stops midway, lips barely inches away from my own, keeping her eyes on mine as she gently takes one of my hands, lacing our fingers together.

She gives me a small smile and the gesture is so considerate, just _so Naomi_ that without a second thought, I close the remaining distance between us, bringing our lips together.

It's just a small peck but it feels somehow so overwhelming that I inhale sharply through my nose, my eyes fluttering shut.

Naomi slightly pulls away and I can feel her hesitate for a split second, her nose softly bumping against my top lip before she kisses me again.

This time, the kiss is more confident and I tilt my head to the side, unable to keep in a small sigh when Naomi cups one of my cheeks.

I hadn't realized how much I had wanted to kiss her until this very moment.

For a few more minutes, I lose myself in the taste of Naomi's lips and the feel of her hand now resting on my waist, a delicious tingling taking over my body.

It's Naomi who finally pulls away with a soft peck. I reluctantly open my eyes to find blue ones eyeing me with an endearing mix of pure bliss and vulnerability. "I-I've been wanting to kiss you for a while now..."

I want to tell her that I have too and that I've never felt _this_ much from a simple kiss but instead, out of nowhere, a steady panic rises from my stomach before reaching my throat and I get up abruptly, Naomi's eyes widening as she makes a move to get up as well.

"Em?" She's clearly confused and I shake my head, looking away. "Emily, I'm- did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, you didn't... I just... I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

I don't give her time to reply before I quickly make my way back inside the house and up to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

Standing in front of my mirror, I run a hand through my hair, eyes landing on my slightly bruised lips as I try to steady my breathing.

I have no idea what just happened, why I reacted this way.

Sighing, I sit on the edge of my bed, biting my bottom lip.

Well no, it's a fucking lie. I know what happened. That kiss held too many feelings, feelings I didn't even know I had. And so I did what I had to do to make sure I wouldn't spill all of them in front of Naomi.

I panicked and left.

I sigh again. "Fuck. You're such an idiot."

My heartbeat picks up when I hear the stairs creaking, indicating that Naomi's coming up.

I slowly get off my bed, making my way to the door, resting a shaky hand on the doorknob.

On the other side of the wood panel, I think I can hear a soft breathing but it must be wishful thinking because after a few moments, a door clicks shut at the end of the hallway.

Disappointment washes over me- for a fleeting moment I thought Naomi would maybe knock on my door- but as I reach my bed again, lying on my back, I know I didn't give her any reason to.

I throw my arms over my eyes.

"Fuck."

**Emily, you silly bitch!**

**For those of you who are like "What? That's such a cliché reaction! That author can kiss my ass", don't worry, Emily will figure her shit out soon enough. **

**The real drama will be coming in a couple of chapters... (... lingering mystery...)**

**So, you can review if you're feeling generous, that would of course make very happy! Like, overflowing with giddiness, really. BUT, you can also not review. That would be the virtual equivalent of making me sleep on the couch for a couple of days, and we can all agree to say I've kinda deserved it. **

**LOVE.**


	14. Chapter 14

***gasps***

**Yes, yes, it's me. Yup, still alive. Nop, nobody kidnapped me or forced me to join a sect where access to Internet was completely forbidden.**

**(Ha ha, I'm still as hilarious as ever though as you can notice.)**

**Wow, three months without an update, uh? That's a bit intense, even for me. (Which is saying a lot.) I'm sorry. As in super, über, hyper sorry. And I want to thank everyone who messaged me, waving chocolate and Pretty Little Liars DVDs in front of my face to try to get me out of my cave. Well, believe it or not people, it worked! Woohoo. So now I'm back. But as I said before, I WILL finish this story, even if it's the last thing I do. ('m not a drama queen. No, you shut up.)**

**For now, I bring you chapter 14. It's long and it's fluffly and it wants to hug you so please, bear with it (if you're still interested in that story that is.)**

The night has been restless, filled with endless tossing and turning and when the first rays of sunlight finally hit my face, I decide to give up on trying to get some sleep.

It's as if what happened last night with Naomi won't get out of my head, the kiss replaying over and over in my mind until it becomes a blurry mess of happiness and confusion.

I get up, looking out the window to find an already blue sky along with a perfectly still ocean and without a second thought, I fish out my shorts and a sport bra out of my suitcase, figuring the best way to sort out my thoughts would be a long run on the beach. That's usually what I do when I'm stressed out- running helps clearing my head.

Although, this isn't one of those times when I'm only stressed out because of work I realize, tying up my white running shoes. This isn't one of those times where a good thirty minutes of sweating is going to make everything fall into place.

I shake my head, gathering my hair up in a high ponytail before pushing my bang away from my forehead with a thin elastic headband.

I'm well aware that Naomi and all the beautiful complexity she brought into my life won't go away that easily- and if I'm honest with myself, I kinda don't want it to- but at the moment, I guess a bit of fresh air isn't going to make anything worst.

_I'm already perfectly good at ruining things all by myself, thank you very much._

I open my bedroom's door, eyes immediately darting towards Naomi's bedroom.

The door is slightly ajar and for a second, I almost give in to the urge I have to see her. It's ridiculous really, and a bit scary, how much I've come to need Naomi in such a short period of time.

The panic I felt last night starts to show its head up again and I quickly make my way downstairs, hoping that no one is up yet.

Fortunately for me, I arrive on the patio without having to talk to anyone. A sigh escapes my lips when I breath in deeply, savouring the salty air and the faint sound of the waves in the chilly morning wind.

I start my usual stretching routine but somewhere in the middle of it, my eyes land on the loveseat Naomi and I sat on yesterday and the small part of me that had succeeded in pushing away any thoughts of last night gives up instantly when memories of the kiss we shared flood my mind.

I feel a bit ridiculous, standing here in the morning light, all alone, with my cheeks heating up and my heart beating hard but I can't really help it when I think back at how gentle and considerate and so, _so _beautiful Naomi was.

I swallow thickly, abandoning the stretching as I take the last stairs down to the beach, glad to find the sand beneath my feet. I lightly start to jog towards the water, picking up at my normal speed when I reach the slightly wetter sand.

The beach is calm that early in the morning and I try to concentrate on my increasing breathing, feet pounding at a steady rhythm.

And just because I can't really fight it anymore, Naomi invades my mind.

Naomi who's so different from all the people in my life.

I can feel the rising sun on my back and already, beads of sweat are forming on my forehead.

Naomi who travelled all around the world and who taught me so much, in so little time, about spontaneity and fearlessness.

Naomi who lives in probably the smallest apartment on the isle of Manhattan- the mere thought brings a silly grin to my lips- and yet managed to make it seem like the warmest too.

I start to run a bit faster, a light sweat now dripping down my back.

Naomi who kissed me and that I kissed back just as eagerly.

The tingling in my lower stomach makes me increase my speed again and realizing I'm already quite far on the beach I make a sharp turn, starting to run back towards the house.

I'm practically sprinting now, thoughts of Naomi messing around in my head as my breathing gets shallower.

Finally, I arrive back at the bottom of the house's patio and I stop running, panting heavily as I lean on my knees. Closing my eyes, I curse my brain for not allowing me to not think of Naomi for the slightest moment.

It's like she's everywhere now.

I shake my head, stretching my legs a bit before I make my way up to the patio.

When I enter the house, a sweet smell reaches me instantly and I follow it to the kitchen, stopping dead in my tracks when I find Naomi there.

Just like yesterday in her bedroom, she's facing away from me and just like yesterday, I end up watching her, unable to look away.

She's busy with something on the oven and to her left, on the counter, sits a huge plate already filled with a copious amount of pancakes.

She's sporting a pair of black skinny jeans along with what appears to be an oversized white shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing parts of the tattoo I've come to love so much. Her hair's up in a bun and I can't hold back a small smile when I see that, once more, she's barefoot.

I don't feel ready to face her yet, as unbelievably guilty as that makes me feel, and I'm about to silently walk out to my bedroom when Cook's loud voice startles me.

"Red, where the fuck have you been?"

I quickly turn around, watching with a slight panic as Naomi does the same, our gazes instantly meeting.

Her blue eyes hold so much questions and confusion that for a moment, I'm tempted to look away but the flicker of hurt I catch there makes it impossible to.

The silence stretches in the quiet kitchen and I quickly look down to her fidgeting hands when Cook clears his throat, clearly oblivious to the tension between Naomi and I.

"Naomikins, we were wondering if the pancakes were ready."

Naomi blinks a few times, seemingly coming back from far away. I can see the tip of her ears turn to a light shade of pink. "Pardon?"

"Never mind, I found what I was looking for." Cook replies, grabbing the plate of pancakes before motioning for me to follow him to the dining room. "Come on Red, you have got to taste Blondie's pancakes- they're fucking amazing."

"Sure." I nod distractedly, eyes glued to the floor.

"And by the way, great ass in those shorts."

Cook throws a wink my way before getting out of the kitchen and I will my heart to stop beating so fast when I feel Naomi's eyes on me for a few seconds before she turns around to face the oven again.

Not really knowing what to do, I make my way to the sink in order to wash my hands. Naomi is standing a few feet away from me and I take a couple of deep breaths when I hear her move behind me to grab something in the fridge.

I take my time drying my hands, trying to gather the courage to at least say something- anything- to Naomi but just when I'm about to give up and leave the kitchen, a pale hand appears at my side before gently putting down a plate on the counter.

"There you go." It comes out as a soft whisper and before I have time to reply, Naomi's already out of the kitchen.

Sighing, I look down at the plate on the counter only to find two pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup.

Exactly like the ones I ordered when we had breakfast together.

The fact that she remembered such an insignificant detail makes my heart pound hard but for some reason, I still can't find the courage to head to the dining room with the others and eat calmly, as if nothing happened last night.

As coward as it makes me sound- and fuck I know it does- I can't face Naomi at the moment. I really can't.

So with a sigh and the beginning of a headache, I decide to go back to my bedroom, careful to grab a fork and the plate of blueberry pancakes on my way out.

OOOOOO

I'm sitting on a couch in the living room, pretending to read a magazine while quietly looking out the window at Naomi who's sitting outside on the patio, her back facing me. I've been there for hours and so as she. I could have talked to her at least a million times by now but honestly, I don't quite know what I would say; I just hate knowing I've probably hurt her with the way I reacted.

"Emily, you're coming with me." Effy's voice interrupts my train of thoughts, making me turn my head around towards where she's standing, twirling a set of keys in one of her hands.

"Uh, where?"

"Grocery store. You look suicidal and you need to move away from that couch. Let's go."

"But-"

Effy's already out the front door and I roll my eyes, casting a last glance at Naomi who still hasn't moved from her spot.

For the whole fifteen minutes that it takes to get to the nearest supermarket, Effy and I don't talk much.

I've only been looking out the window, wondering if I should talk to her about what happened between Naomi and I.

I still haven't made a decision when we enter the busy supermarket, Effy pulling out a list of things we have to buy out of her purse. She throws me a glance over her shoulder and I try a weak smile, perfectly aware that I'm probably not fooling her one bit.

I'm expecting some kind of freakishly insightful comment but instead, Effy raises an eyebrow and motions for me to follow her.

The aisles are full of running children and I sigh, trying not to hit one of them as I slowly push my shopping cart, absentmindedly watching as Effy follows the list, grabbing the needed items from the shelves.

Naomi's confused face keeps popping into my head and every time, a strong feeling of guilt erupts in my chest, letting me know I've probably acted like the biggest idiot on the planet.

It's not until we arrive in front of the cereal boxes that Effy suddenly stops, turning around to face me. I almost bump into her, giving her a questioning look as I'm abruptly pulled out of my Naomi-induced daze.

"You're thinking too much. It's distracting." Effy says flatly, tilting her head to the side as she watches me intently.

I shrug, pulling my purse's strap higher on my shoulder. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fitch, I've known you since high school." She looks at me, concern flashing in her piercing blue eyes. "I can tell when something's bothering you."

That's the side of Effy that not a lot of people get to see. She can be a pretty intimidating person when you first meet her- she's usually cold and, well, distant- but once she lets you get through those layers, she's an amazing friend.

But for now, I'm not quite certain if I want to tell her what happened last night. Those feelings are just too new for me and, to be honest, I feel utterly ashamed about the way I acted towards Naomi.

I usually don't run away. I tend to fight, head first, until things go my way but I guess that's just how things go when it comes to Naomi. They go in a different way than what I expect.

"Emily." Effy repeats, pushing our cart to the side in order to not block the aisle for other customers. "Talk to me."

I look down, randomly grabbing a pack of rice to fidget with. "Eff, it's... complicated..."

There's a small silence, filled with a baby's wailing coming from an aisle to our right.

"I know it's about Naomi."

I almost drop the pack of rice, eyes widening at Effy's monotonous voice. "Why the fuck would you say that?"

Effy raises an eyebrow again. "Because I'm not blind."

I can feel my cheeks reddening, quickly realizing that trying to deny anything in front of her would be completely futile but instead of answering directly, I push the cart away from her, frowning. "Can we not talk about it here?"

She smirks, nodding. "Sure."

Thirty minutes later, we end up sitting on a bench outside of a small ice cream parlour a couple of miles away from the house, watching the sun setting on the peaceful sea.

I can feel Effy's eyes on me from time to time and I know that she's waiting for me to talk as I'm going through my third cigarette, smoking quietly as I try to make something out of the mess in my head.

I randomly remember Naomi telling me last week that she couldn't stand the smell of smoke on someone and instantly, I throw what's left of my cigarette to the ground, crushing it with my heel before closing my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Naomi and I kissed last night."

The back of my eyelids is orange and red from the sun and I try not to dwell on how heavy the silence is as I wait for Effy to say something.

After a few moments, I hear her shift on the bench. "Open your eyes Em."

I do as I'm told and for once in my life, I'm afraid that my best friend won't actually be able to understand me.

When I meet her eyes, Effy gives me a small smile. "Like I said, I'm not blind. You can't really miss the way you look at each other."

Her words bring an unexpected blush to my cheeks and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, coughing a bit. "You- I mean, how?"

Effy shrugs, bumming a cigarette from the pack I put on the table behind us, next to a barely eaten sundae. "It's pretty obvious to me. Light." She adds, leaning towards me with the small white stick between her lips.

I hold the lighter in front of her face, unable to believe that Naomi and I have been that transparent with our feelings when I'm still struggling to deal with them.

After letting out a long puff of smoke, Effy crosses her legs before she brings her eyes back to me. "So, you've kissed?"

I nod, deciding at last that if there's someone I can talk about that with, it's most likely with her.

"How was it?"

"It was..." I trail off, finding it hard to decide on a precise word. "Soft. And gentle. And, well, breathtaking to be honest." I finish with an uncharacteristically girly sigh, remembering for the umpteenth time the kiss Naomi and I shared.

Effy gives me an amused glance. "And what happened after?"

My stomach drops, guilt coming back full force. "I... left." I reply quietly, bringing my eyes back to the sea. "I left her there, Eff, alone on the patio."

A cold hand lands on my wrist and I pinch the bridge of my nose between my index finger and my thumb, surprised when I feel my eyes prickling with the beginning of tears. "God, I'm such an idiot aren't I?"

Effy squeezes more firmly, forcing me to look at her. "Why did you leave?"

"I- Fuck, I don't know..." I reply, running a hand through my hair, "I was overwhelmed I guess... It all felt too much and I just... had to leave..."

"Overwhelmed?"

I frown, trying to find a way to explain what happened last night. "I mean, I've only known Naomi for two weeks Eff, two fucking weeks! And then we kiss and it's like- it's like..." I trail off again, frustrated by my inability to translate all of the feelings messing with my head into proper words.

"It's like?" Effy narrows her eyes, smiling encouragingly as if I'm a child who's about to take its first steps. Which I might actually be, in some kind of twisted way.

"It's like... I know I won't be able to let go of her anytime soon." I finally reply, feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders despite the fact this just confirmed how strong I've already fallen for Naomi.

"Then don't. Don't let go of her Em, no one's asking you to."

"I know, I know... I just..." I swallow, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat, "It took me by surprise I guess and now, I really don't want to fuck it up..." I wipe the stray tear under my left eye, careful not to smudge my make-up in the process. "God, when did I become such a pussy?"

We both chuckle and Effy bumps our shoulders together. "Your shark rep is safe with me."

I smile, glad I decided to talk to her. "Thanks Eff."

Out of nowhere, Effy gives me a slap behind the head and I grunt in pain.

"What the fuck was that?"

"As understanding as I am, that's for being an ass to Naomi."

"Guess I had it coming." I mumble, rubbing my skull.

Effy lets out a last puff of smoke, throwing her cigarette away before raising one of her eyebrows in typical Effy fashion. "Now sort out your shit because I'm telling you, Naomi's an amazing person and oddly enough, I think you'd complete one another pretty well."

I smile, her words eliciting a small flutter in my chest. "I think so too."

OOOOOO

Taking a last look at my make-up in the mirror, I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans for the umpteenth time since I came up to my bedroom.

I haven't talked to Naomi since we came back from the grocery store and even during dinner, we couldn't even make eye contact.

But I have to be a big girl here and face that whole... thing clearly happening between us.

_Calm down, you can do this._

I take a deep breath but it does nothing to slow down my rapidly increasing heartbeat as I open my bedroom's door, checking that no one's there before I quickly make my way to the other end of the hallway, towards Naomi's closed door.

I wanted to try and talk to her tomorrow but I know that if she keeps occupying every available space in my mind like she's doing now, I won't be able to get any sleep tonight.

Biting my bottom lip before exhaling a long breath, I raise my hand, lightly knocking on her door, quickly bringing it down when I realize I'm shaking.

_Oh Jesus._

For a moment, not a sound is coming from Naomi's bedroom and I look around me, the tiny bit of confidence I had managed to muster fading quicker than I would want it to.

Just as I'm about to knock again in a desperate surge of courage, the door opens, revealing a rather surprised Naomi.

She's wearing her nerdy black rimmed glasses again along with a white t-shirt and black sweatpants, hair up in a high ponytail and God, this really isn't helping to slow down my pulse.

"Emily? What are you doing here?" She asks after a few seconds. Her tone is not harsh, as I would have expected it to be, which I guess is a good sign.

"Hi." I give her a tentative smile, nervously playing with the bracelet on my left wrist. "Can we, uh, can I talk to you for a minute?" I finally ask, watching as Naomi looks away, slightly furrowing her brows and it makes me feel even worst when I think of the bright smile she would usually welcome me with.

_Please, let me talk to you._

Naomi nods at last, opening the door wider to let me in before closing it behind us.

I can feel her eyes boring holes into my back and trying to regain some composure after realizing I'm alone with Naomi, about to tell her about those feelings I have, I make my way towards the bed, picking up a book I find there.

"A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemmingway. "I read aloud, still not chancing a look in Naomi's direction and willing my damn heart to calm down a bit. "Is it any good?" I ask, perfectly knowing how much of a lame attempt it is to avoid what I should really be talking about.

"Emily."

I close my eyes, putting the book down before opening them, turning around to face Naomi who's standing in the middle of the bedroom.

_Here goes nothing._

"Emily, why did you come here for?" There's no trace of anger in her voice but her blue eyes seem duller than usual. "Look, about last night, just... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention at all."

A sad smile plays on her lips and I take a few steps towards her- of course, Naomi would blame herself. Before I can reply, she pushes her glasses further up her nose and I can't help but find it completely adorable.

"And I don't want to lose you as a friend Emily so-"

"God, Naomi, no." I cut her hastily, shaking my head. "It wasn't like that. I didn't mean to... run away like I did..."

There's a tensed silence, and that's when I realize that apart from the faint sound of the waves coming from the open window, the bedroom is painfully quiet.

"Then why did you?" The question comes out softly, Naomi watching me intently, hurt floating in her big blue eyes.

I take yet another deep breath, playing with the hem of my polo shirt. "I- The thing is..." I pause, willing myself to forget how nervous I am and just go for it, "The thing is, you confuse me Naomi. You confuse the hell out of me to be honest and last night, when you- when _we_ kissed, I felt like I couldn't handle it..."

Naomi briefly brings her eyes down, suddenly looking uncertain. "Is this because I'm a woman?"

"No!" I reply instantly, because it truly isn't. "I mean, it's never been about that, really."

Naomi lightly touches my hand. "Then what is it really about?"

I tuck a lose curl behind my ear, aware that I'm about to completely open myself up to Naomi but when our eyes meet again, I realize that might be just what she's waiting for.

"I... like you Naomi. A lot. I don't know how or when it happened but it did and now... well, now, I'm standing in front of you, I admit it, nervous as hell", Naomi lets out a small chuckle, eyes softening, and it gives me the courage I need to finish my little improvised speech, "hoping you'll be crazy enough to want to try something with me."

I finish in a breath, eyes now glued to the carpet.

When Naomi doesn't answer, I don't dare to look up, back to fiddling with my bracelet.

"You obviously don't have to, I would understand if you were mad at me after last night..." I continue, pulse quickening in the deafening silence.

"Emily-"

Naomi starts but I cut her, the words pouring out of my mouth as I try to avoid the rejection I fear is coming my way. "I know I've been a total jerk and I'm so, so sorry for reacting that way-"

"Emily, stop talking." Naomi says with a smile, putting a finger on my lips which effectively shuts me up.

When she's sure I'm done with my insane rambling, Naomi removes her finger, looking at me with such intensity that I feel my cheeks heating up.

"I'm crazy enough."

I blink a couple of times, lips still tingling from the soft skin of her finger. "What?"

Naomi's smile grows wider, probably taking in my goofy expression, and she closes the remaining space between us without touching me. "I'm crazy enough to want to start something with you."

For the umpteenth time tonight, my heartbeat increases but this time, it comes with an intense fluttering in my stomach and a grin so big I most likely look completely ridiculous.

"Really?"

Naomi nods, the bright smile I've grown so fond of back on her face. "Really. But for now", she gently tugs at the front of my shirt, "I think you owe me something from last night..."

I bite my bottom lip, nodding as well. "I think you're right."

Just like last night, my eyes land on Naomi's lips and I can't help but exhale shakily, unable to contain a grin when, as I lean in, I notice that she has already closed her eyes.

When our lips touch, I shut my eyes too, a small sigh escaping my mouth.

The kiss is soft, like everything with Naomi, and my legs feel so weak I have to lean a hand on the small table at the foot of the bed.

I'm so completely focussed on the way her lips are gliding against mine that when she goes to pull away after a few moments, I practically whimper, hands snaking behind her neck to bring her back towards me.

I feel her smile against my lips as her hands land on my waist, making me slightly shiver.

It's not after another couple of minutes that I'm bold enough to gently suck on her bottom lip, knowing I've hit the right spot when her fingers tighten around my skin, lips parting just enough to allow me access to her mouth.

Our tongues touch tentatively and the electric feeling that instantly runs through my whole body is something I was absolutely not prepared for as I stand on the tip of my toes, wanting to reach everything I can possibly have.

The kisses are growing more heated, fingers now tangled in blonde locks and it's not until a low moan erupts from the back of my throat that we pull apart, lips swollen, panting like teenagers after a particularly awesome make-out session.

Naomi's eyes open slowly, lazy smile playing on her lips and I giggle, grabbing one of her hands before lacing our fingers together.

"Want to stay here tonight?" She blurts out after a second, playing with my fingers.

"I-well, I mean..."

Naomi's eyes widen, the tip of her ears a deep shade of red. "Not like that! I meant, can we just lie in bed, together, to sleep?"

I relax, nodding with an adoring smile because honestly, a blushing Naomi has got me completely and utterly whipped. "Absolutely."

Grinning bashfully, we both make our way to the bed, Naomi motioning for me to get in before she follows me, pulling the covers over us.

After a few seconds of wriggling to make ourselves comfortable, we end up facing each other, heads on our respective pillow.

"So..." I start, absentmindedly tracing the tattoo on her arm with the tip of my fingers.

"So..." Naomi repeats, smiling. "I'm very happy that we decided to try... us."

"I'm happy too." I link our fingers again, closing my eyes with a grin, realizing just now how tired I am. This is way more than I expected when I knocked on her door earlier but the constant flutter in my chest tells me this is, by far, the best outcome imaginable.

"Good night Em."

"Good night Naoms. And thank you for the pancakes."

"Always."

OOOOOO

When I wake up the next morning, I'm a bit confused when I find myself surrounded by a somehow familiar flowery smell.

It takes me a couple of seconds to remember where I am, smiling when I move my legs only to find them tangled with another pair.

"You're awake." A soft voice whispers above me and I look up, realizing I had my head tucked in the crook of Naomi's neck.

"Hey you." I reply with the same tone, cringing at how huskier my voice gets in the mornings.

"Slept well?" Naomi asks me with a smile, twirling a piece of my hair around one of her fingers.

"Hmm, like a baby."

"Yeah, you were sucking your thumb."

"I wasn't!" I reply indignantly, shaking my head. "...Oh God, was I?"

Naomi lets out a throaty giggle, apparently proud of herself. "I was just kidding."

I roll my eyes, trying to contain a smile at the sight of Naomi looking so carefree, laughing in the glorious morning light. "Wipe that smug look of your face Campbell."

Naomi's laughter morphs into a wide grin, our gazes locking and without a word, we both lean in at the same time, lips meeting halfway in a sweet kiss.

Naomi puts a hand on my cheek, deepening the kiss, and I can't help but comply, running my foot on the whole length of her bare calf.

The kiss is unfortunately interrupted by my stomach grumbling and I bury my head in my hands, utterly embarrassed as Naomi chuckles.

"Someone's hungry."

"Shut up." I mumble, playfully slapping her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go get breakfast." Naomi drops a light kiss on the tip of my nose before getting out of bed. "I'm starving too."

I get up as well, wishing we'd have gotten more time alone before joining the others.

"I'll go get changed then I'll meet you on top of the stairs, ok?" I ask her, hand already on the doorknob, grinning as I watch her put her glasses back on.

"Sure! Oh and Em?"

"Hmm?"

"I never thought bed head could look _that_ cute on someone."

I smirk, meeting Naomi's sparkling eyes. "You'll soon find out that I can rock pretty much every look miss Campbell."

I leave with a wink, happy when Naomi's giggling follows me in the hallway.

When I arrive in my bedroom, after carefully shutting the door behind me, I make a ridiculously lame happy dance, careful not to let out an embarrassing squeal in the process.

It's been so long since I've felt like that- genuinely, thoroughly happy- and I just feel like running back to Naomi's bedroom, drag her back to bed and spend the whole day there, talking and... well, doing other things too.

I know it's not possible though, not today anyway, so I quickly take off my current clothes, changing into a simple cashmere camel sweater, a clean pair of skinny jeans and navy blue loafers, tying my hair up in a ponytail.

Quickly grabbing my phone, I make my way to the top of the stairs, glad to find Naomi already there.

She's facing away from me and I pause in the middle of the corridor, once more taken aback by how that girl can wear a grey t-shirt, black jeans and combat boots and look just beautiful.

"Em?"

I look up, realizing I've totally been caught staring. "Erm...hi."

"Hi again." Naomi smiles bashfully, stuffing her hands in her jeans' pockets. "You ready?"

I shake my head, heading towards her. "Not yet." And just because I can, I plant a lingering kiss on her lips, relishing in the blossoming intimacy between us. "You look gorgeous."

Naomi licks her lips, the tips of her ears back to that red shade I love being the reason of. "You're biased."

I nod, motioning for her to follow me downstairs with a playful smile. "Of course I am."

Voices are coming to us from the dining room and I assume everybody's already having breakfast as I stop at the bottom of the stairs, Naomi beside me.

I really don't feel like seeing the others just yet. I'm still coming to grips with whatever's happening between Naomi and I and for today, I wish it could be just the two of us.

"Are you ok?" Naomi asks me with concerned eyes and I nod quickly, not wanting her to think I'm regretting what happened last night or anything.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She smiles gently, starting to head to the dining room.

"Actually", I grab her wrist, tugging her back towards me, her body softly colliding into mine, "what do you say we ditch the others and do something, just you and me?"

Naomi drops a quick kiss on my lips, grinning widely. "I would be absolutely delighted."

I feel the excitement bubbling in my chest as we make our way to the back door as silently as we can, Naomi gently squeezing my hand.

When we get outside, the day is surprisingly warm, the shining sun reflected on the water.

"What do we do now?"

I shrug, letting out a small chuckle. "Shit, I have no idea. We don't have a car..."

Naomi laughs too, hair flowing freely in the light breeze. "Well, that's one foolproof plan."

"I do have my old bike in the garage but I think we only have this one left..."

Her eyes brighten, apparently loving the idea. "That's perfect then!"

"But we only have one bike..."

"You've never been two on a bike before have you?" Naomi asks with an amused smile and I'm distracted for a moment by the way she keeps running her thumb over my knuckles.

"No, never..."

"Well, first time for everything then."

I bite my bottom lip, not sure about the whole idea.

"Oh come on Emily." Naomi comes closer to me, leaving barely an inch between our bodies before she rubs her nose against my cheek. "I really want us to spend the day together." She whispers the last part, a timid quality to her voice.

Her hot breath on the side of my face makes my eyes flutter shut, my resolve crumbling in an instant. "Ok, fine, let's do it."

Naomi kisses my cheek, a content smile on her lips. "Now show me where that bike is before the others notice we've sneaked out."

She follows me to the garage and just like I remembered, my old purple bike is still there, leaning against a pile of rusty garden chairs.

"This is just perfect." Naomi mutters excitedly, pushing the bike out to the front of the house as I shut the garage's door, chuckling at her lovely enthusiasm.

"Ok so Em, you'll be seating and I'll be pedalling on the front."

I frown suspiciously, crossing my arms. "How will that even work?"

Naomi grins. "Don't be so pessimistic and just trust me."

"I-I trust you but..." I gesture towards the old bike, as if it would explain my whole point. "That could be dangerous..."

"I would never make you do anything dangerous." She replies, seriousness lacing her playful tone.

"I know."

"Good." Naomi motions for me to sit on the bike, quickly putting her hands on my hips when I wobble a bit.

"Easy there." She whispers in my ear, holding me still from behind as I manage to put a foot to the ground, effectively stabilizing the bike. "I want to keep you in one piece as long as possible."

I roll my eyes, smiling when Naomi chuckles.

"Now I'm going to climb in front of you." She says, and I watch as she strides over the bike, putting a foot on one of the pedals.

I've never been particularly good at riding a bike and even though I feel safe with Naomi, I can't help but frown when I realize that I'm the only one who's going to be sitting. "Wait, you're going to ride the bike whilst... standing up?"

Naomi slightly turns her head around and I can see a small smile on her lips. "Just hold on to me Ems and everything we'll be all right."

I nod, instantly wrapping my arms around her waist, briefly thinking that those words might be holding more than one meaning. However, those thoughts are interrupted when Naomi starts to pedal, the bike a bit unstable for a few feet before we head out to the road in front of my house.

"Oh, God." I mumble, tightening my hold around Naomi.

"You okay back there?" She shouts, her voice drowned by the sound of the ocean to our right and the cars passing us by to our left.

"You'll get us killed." I reply, startled when a car honks behind us before a car full of teenage boys pass us by, cheering and whistling.

I bury my head in Naomi's back, feeling my face heating up as I hear her let out a loud laugh. It's so contagious I can't help but giggle too but as we do so, the bike wobbles again.

"Jesus Naomi! Stop doing that."

She laughs again. "Relax Ems. Enjoy the ride."

I can almost see the teasing smile on her face and trying to follow her advice, I lean my cheek on her back again, facing the ocean.

The sun feels nice against my skin and despite the rather uncomfortable position I find myself in, I breath in deeply, slightly dizzy from Naomi's delicate perfume mixed with the subtle scent of the water.

"Don't fall asleep either." Naomi mumbles breathlessly and I chuckle, only now noticing that we're going up a small hill.

"Come on Naoms, don't give up!" I shout enthusiastically, laughing when she mutters something under her breath. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"I said that I'm only doing that to impress you."

Aware of the fluttering in my chest, I giggle again before dropping a random kiss somewhere between her shoulder blades. "Well, it's working."

It's only a couple more minutes before we arrive in front of a gas station, Naomi coming to a stop.

"It's as far as I can go."

I nod with a grin, carefully getting off the bike. "It's perfect. The only point was to get away from the house and I think we did pretty well."

Naomi gets off the bike as well, turning around to face me. She's slightly breathless, with pink cheeks and a strand of hair stuck to her forehead.

"Shit, you must be exhausted." I close the space between us, delicately pushing the hair away from her face. "I didn't realize..."

Naomi smiles, holding the bike beside us. "As I said, I was doing my best to impress the lovely girl behind me."

I feel my cheeks heating up, standing on the tip of my toes to hover in front of her lips. "For the record, you're always impressing me."

Her lips are on mine in an instant, softly kissing me with an underlying passion that sends my brain to complete uselessness.

"Come on, I need to buy a couple of stuff." She whispers, planting a lingering kiss on my lips as she pushes the bike in my motionless hands. "I won't be long, just wait for me."

Naomi's already jogging towards the rather busy gas station before I can ask any question, leaving me in the middle of the parking lot with a goofy grin on my face and a sparkly purple bike in hands.

I walk towards the side of the gas station in order to watch the ocean and the beach, only separated from the back of the small building by an old wooden fence.

I get lost in my thoughts, absentmindedly watching a family walking on the beach.

"I'm back."

Fingers tickle my side and I quickly turn my head around, smiling when I meet Naomi's blue eyes.

"What did you buy?" I ask curiously, gesturing towards the brown bag she's holding.

"You'll find out soon enough." Naomi replies with a mysterious grin, leaning the bike against the fence, "but for now, let's get our feet in the sand."

"Sure, we just need to find the entrance to the beach..." I reply, turning around to try and spot where the people already on the beach managed to get in.

When I look back to ask Naomi which way she thinks we should go, I find her on the other side of the fence, a bright smile on her face.

"I think I've found a faster way to get to the beach." She holds her hand out. "Are you coming?"

I shake my head, crossing my arms. "Nop. No way I'm jumping over a fence Naoms. I'm not twelve anymore."

"Aw, come on." She puts the brown bag on the sand before taking a couple of steps towards the fence, leaning both of her elbows on it. "Come here Ems."

I give her a suspicious look, walking towards her nonetheless.

"A bit closer..."

I take another step, brows still furrowed. "Really though, I'm not going to go over that-"

My stubborn ranting is cut off by Naomi dropping a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose, effectively shutting me up.

She gives me a playful smile when I let out a small sigh, completely forgetting what I was saying not a second ago.

"Now come on. Just get to the top of the fence and I'll help you from there." Naomi says, slightly backing away as I reluctantly start to climb on the unstable structure.

When I manage to get to the top- which actually wasn't that hard, damn it- Naomi comes back closer to me, putting her hands on my waist and before I know it, she's lifting me, gently bringing me back down on the sand after a moment.

"There you go gorgeous."

I grin, feeling uncharacteristically bashful. Guess I still can't quite believe I'm the one Naomi's calling gorgeous.

"Thank you."

"Always." She replies, flashing me a quick smile over her shoulder as she takes off her shoes.

"You're pretty strong." I mumble as I untie mine, watching with a grin as Naomi's eyes lock with mine.

"Well, as I said before, I aim to impress you."

I bring my attention back to my shoes, aware of how wide my smile just got.

"And also, you're kind of tiny so it wasn't that big of a deal..."

"Oi! Watch it Campbell!"

Naomi chuckles, grabbing her shoes and the brown bag as she starts heading towards the water, walking backwards.

"I'm sorry but it did make it a bit easier..."

"Yeah, yeah..." I reply, letting her know with a smile that I'm not really mad.

The sand feels good under my feet and when I arrive at Naomi's side, I slip my hand into her free one, feeling like it's the most natural thing to do at the moment.

And when she links our fingers together, giving me a sideway glance along with the softest of smiles, I think to myself that from now on, this will probably be the most natural thing to do at _any _moment.

The beach is relatively empty, apart from the occasional people with their dogs and after a few minutes of walking in a comfortable silence, my mind solely focussed on the hand in mine and the sound of the seagulls occasionally flying over us, Naomi stops abruptly.

"I think we've found our spot." She announces proudly, plopping down to the sand and bringing me down with her, never letting go of my hand.

"What do you mean?" I ask, snapping out of my thoughts as I watch Naomi sit cross-legged on the sand.

"Well", she starts, putting the now crumpled brown bag in front of us as I mirror her position, "don't you want to know what's hiding in there?"

I nod, smiling. "Of course."

"Wait for it..." Naomi's hand disappears in the bag only to reappear a second later, holding a bottle of red wine and a small pack of strawberry candies. "I seem to remember these were your favourites..."

For the umpteenth time since I've met her, Naomi's surprising me, in the most beautiful way possible and for the umpteenth time since I've met her, I'm rendered speechless. I'm aware they're only wine and candies but, I realize as I watch Naomi unscrewing the bottle's cap, when you're about to share them with the girl you're so undeniably falling for, they inevitably become the most special things.

Naomi clears her throat, obviously worried by my lack of reaction. "I know it's not very fancy or anything... I mean, we don't even have cups..."

I put a hand on her forearm, leaning in to plant a lingering kiss on her cheek. "I don't give a fuck about being fancy right now." I kiss her again, this time on the mouth and I can't help but grin against her lips when she lets out an adorable sigh. "The only thing I care about right now is you and your amazing, _amazing_ self." I mumble inches away from her mouth, planting a last kiss there before getting back to my previous position.

Naomi doesn't reply but out of the corner of my eyes, I notice the goofy grin she's now sporting as she's opening the pack of candies along with the faint shade of red tainting the tip of her ears.

_God, you're beautiful._

"You get the honor of the first sip." Naomi hands me the bottle, eyes twinkling in the sun.

I grab it, fingers grazing against hers. "Thank you."

The wine leaves a welcome warmth in my chest, the wind having just picked up on the beach leaving me slightly colder than I was before.

Naomi must notice because I feel her sliding closer to me until our arms and legs are touching, making me feel instantly better and just because I can, I snuggle into her side, content when she lightly kisses my forehead before taking a sip out of the bottle we're now sharing.

"This feels nice." Naomi whispers, tracing a random pattern over my knee.

"It really does." I whisper back, closing my eyes and breathing in the salty air.

"Why did you choose to become an architect?" Naomi asks me after a few moments, slightly bumping our shoulders together.

I open my eyes, meeting her curious gaze.

"Random much?" I reply with a smile, lazily rubbing my chin on her shoulder.

She shrugs shyly. "I guess I just have this weird need to know everything that's possible to know about you."

Her answer brings out this familiar fluttering in my stomach because, well, _Naomi_.

"I know what you mean." I take a sip of the wine, passing the bottle to Naomi afterwards. "And I think I've been wanting to become an architect since I took this History of Art class back in high school. Overall, it wasn't particularly interesting but the teacher would always capture my attention whenever she would talk about buildings that have been designed by famous artists."

Naomi hums, resuming the patterns on my knee.

"I like to believe that we can successfully combine beauty with practicality through various types of buildings and that's what I intended to achieve when I got out of college."

"What do you mean, 'intended to"?"

I sigh, absentmindedly playing with Naomi's fingers.

"I just... Well, my job is fine and I'm grateful they hired me even though I was still pretty young when they did but this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided to study architecture."

Naomi stays silent but I can feel her eyes on me, as I keep mine on the sea in front of us.

I've never really talked about this with anyone before. I tend to have too much pride and I didn't want my family or anyone to think that I wasn't actually living the perfect life I seemed to be. Which, when I come to think about it, is pretty stupid.

"I've mostly been dealing with clients and I actually think it's been over a year since I've designed any real projects."

"Maybe you should just quit." Naomi says calmly, stretching out her legs in front of her. "As cliché as it sounds, you should do what you're good at but most importantly, you should do what you love. You absolutely deserve to do what you love Emily."

"I know but..." I sigh, twirling the bottle between my hands. "What if... what if I can't find another job? What if I'm not good enough for anyone else?"

Voicing one of my biggest insecurities makes me feel vulnerable and I honestly hate feeling that way.

"Emily", Naomi starts, gently pushing strands of my fringe out of my eyes in order to get my attention, "I've known you for what, two weeks? And yet, I don't think I've ever met someone with as much strength and will as you do. I'm not saying you should quit your job tomorrow, and I don't even think I'm any position to give job advices to anyone given my record but maybe you should at least think about what you really want out of your career."

I nod, wondering as I take in her messy blond hair and caring blue eyes what I did to deserve someone as incredible as her in my life.

"And if you'll let me, I'll be there to support you along the way. Whatever your decision ends up to be." She adds, biting her bottom lip somewhat bashfully as she keeps her gaze locked with mine.

My heart swells knowing that I now have Naomi to talk to about these things, knowing that I'll have her to lean on. So far, I've handled my career choices all by myself but if I'm really honest with myself, it started to feel a bit lonely.

"I'd consider myself lucky to have you there with me."

Naomi smiles, the one that makes me want to wrap my arms around her and keep her by my side for pretty much forever.

We meet in the middle in a soft kiss, Naomi lightly resting a hand on my cheek and God kissing her keeps getting better and better.

When we pull away, I grab the pack of candies, popping one in my mouth.

"Damn, those candies really are the best." I mutter, noticing the sun is now partially hidden by black clouds. "Honestly, I could live on those candies all my life and never get tired." I add, wanting the conversation to head to lighter topics.

Naomi giggles. "I've actually never had them before."

My eyes widen as I watch Naomi giggle once more. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nop. I've been left in the dark all those years."

I laugh through my nose, taking a candy between my fingers before hovering it in front of Naomi's mouth.

She just grins, opening it expectantly and I smile too, repressing a shiver when her lips graze against my hand as they delicately close around the candy.

Naomi chews with a thoughtful expression, taping a finger against her chin and I lightly poke her in the ribs, moving so that I'm now facing her, cross-legged.

"And?"

"It's... pretty good indeed." She replies with a playful tone, stealing another candy from the pack.

We both chuckle, maybe a bit more than necessary, and I realize that I'm starting to feel a light buzz from the wine.

"So tell me, what happened with that girl at the club last time?" I ask innocently, eyes following the twirls of colours on Naomi's forearm. I'm not trying to bring up an unpleasant subject but I've been wondering since that time if anything had happened.

"Nothing happened." Naomi replies quickly, almost as if she's reading my thoughts. I can't help but feel relieved, remembering how I had felt when I saw them talking at the bar. "She was actually, well..."

I give her a questioning look.

"Well, dumb really..."

A few seconds pass by before we both burst out laughing.

"What do you mean?"

"That she was an absolute idiot and I honestly couldn't wait to get away... God, I feel like such a bitch for saying that." Naomi replies, scrunching up her nose in an adorable way.

"You", I chuckle, smoothing out the wrinkles on her nose with one of my fingers. "are too cute."

She blushes a bit, proving my point even more. "And honestly, I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone at that moment..."

I nod, remembering how much I had wanted to slap Katie- despite her good intentions- for interrupting Naomi and I on the dance floor.

"I know what you mean. I couldn't believe how much of an impeccably bad timing Katie had."

She giggles.

"When I saw you and that girl talking I was so..." I stop, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Naomi probably doesn't need to know that.

I keep my eyes fixed on my feet, lips quirking upwards when Naomi drops her chin on my shoulder, softly nuzzling my neck.

"You were what?" She asks, her hot breath tickling my skin.

"I was, uh, well", I cough, "I might have been a tiny bit jealous." I mumble the last part, still not meeting Naomi's eyes.

"Hmmm." She kisses the side of my neck, making me instantly melt under her touch. "You didn't have anything to be jealous about Emily. I left her after a few minutes and tried to find you for the rest of the evening so..."

I look up, turning my head around to meet Naomi's caring blue eyes. "For real?"

She grins, playing with the hem of my sweater. "For real."

I smile back, heart beating a bit faster.

"And for the record", she leans in, flowery perfume deliciously invading my personal space, "I think you being jealous is kind of hot."

I raise an eyebrow, Naomi biting her bottom lip in an expectant manner. "Is that so?"

She nods, licking her lips. "It is so."

I have no idea who made the first move but before I know it, we're kissing again, my hands reaching behind Naomi's neck as one of hers land on my waist, the other somewhere in the sand to support both of our weights.

She tastes like strawberry candies.

_Oh God._

My mind practically goes blank when her tongue hesitantly slips into my mouth and I let out a small moan, the grip Naomi has on my waist instantly tightening.

Things are getting more and more heated and it's not until something wet drops on my forehead that I manage to pull myself away from Naomi- not that I wanted to- looking up to find out that the black clouds from before have now completely invaded the sky.

"Oh fuck, I think it's starting to rain." I mutter, annoyed by yet another bad timing.

"Uh?" Naomi's eyes seem hazy, lips slightly redder than before and I'm not quite sure I can't resist that look.

I chuckle, pulling her closer to me until our lips are a couple of inches apart. "Never mind."

"Good."

It doesn't take a second for her lips to be on mine again, the small whimper she lets out letting me know we're both not wanting this to end so soon.

Unfortunately, a couple more drops of water land on me and this time, on Naomi too.

"Damn it." I swear under my breath, watching with a pout as Naomi reluctantly gets up.

"As much as I hate to say this, and believe me I really do, we'd better move if we don't want to get back to the house completely drenched." She grabs the bottle and the empty pack of candies before offering me her hand.

"Fine." I sigh, allowing her to help me get up. "It sucks though."

"Are you pouting?" I nod, jutting out my bottom lip even more. Naomi grins. "Here's what we're going to do then. Sometime next week, I'll take you out to dinner and we can finish what we started. Deal?"

I nod again, watching intently as Naomi swings our linked hands between us, kicking some sand with the tip of her shoe, fully aware that my heart just skipped a couple of beats.

"Are you asking me out on a proper date Campbell?"

"I am." She winks, walking towards the fence and dropping the bottle along with the empty pack of candies in a trash can.

The parking of the gas station is practically empty except for a few people hurrying to their cars, the rain now falling steadily.

Naomi grabs the bike from the fence it was leaning on, motioning for me to sit on it as we did before. She climbs too and soon we're on the road back to my house, the rain getting more and more intense as we go by.

I'm trying to wipe some water out of my eyes, wondering if my cashmere sweater is going to make it out of this alive when the bike makes a worrying noise before we come to a halt.

"Bollocks!" Naomi mutters as I unwrap my arms from around her waist, giving her a questioning look.

"I think we have a flat tire..."

"Well that's fucking great." I mutter, angrily looking up at the sky, completely blaming the rain for this.

"Hold the bike for me Em."

I do as I'm told, trying to ignore how water is slowly seeping through my shoes.

After a few moments of examining the tire, Naomi gets up, giving me an apologizing look.

"It's definitely flat..."

"For real? Fuck. What are we supposed to do now?"

"We... walk?"

"Fucking hell. It's like a thirty minutes walk! Plus we're already soaked and I'm pretty sure I can feel my mascara running down my cheeks in- Oh my God!"

I cry out in surprise, water now dripping down my face and I let out a string of curses when I realize a fucking car just passed us by, effectively splashing us with impossibly cold water.

When I look up, Naomi's watching me with an amused grin. "Wow! I have to admit I didn't even know half of the words you just used there."

"It's not fucking funny Naomi!"

She bites her bottom lip, obviously trying to contain her smile. "It is a tiny bit funny Em..."

"It looks like we just got out of a goddamm pool! Fucking hell, my sweater is now officially ruined." I mumble in reply, blinking when a loud thunder resonates above us. "God, this is not happening."

Naomi clears her throat after a few moments. "I guess any inappropriate 'wet' jokes would be totally forbidden at the moment, uh?"

I meet her sparkling blue eyes; I totally wasn't expecting that answer.

"You did not just say that..."

Another thunder startles us both and before I know it, we're both laughing, leaning on the bike now forgotten beside us.

"Jesus..." I manage to get out breathlessly after a couple of minutes, noticing how Naomi's hair are now a darker shade of blonde and I can't really help myself when I reach out, brushing away a strand that was sticking to her cheek.

"Know what?" I whisper, hoping she's going to hear me despite the rain.

She does.

"What?"

I take a step forward, absentmindedly watching as a drop of water slowly makes its way across her collarbone.

"You're really kind of freaking wonderful." I let out in a breath, the words a bit jumbled up because I never really know how to say things like these.

(But Naomi absolutely deserves to hear them, so.)

Naomi smiles, that perfect one she's apparently an expert at, closing the gap between us. "The feeling is mutual."

She plants a soft kiss on my lips, my eyes shutting instantly.

"Look at us, we're kissing in the rain now." Naomi mumbles against my mouth, playfulness lacing her voice.

I chuckle, kissing her again. "How very Notebook-ish of us."

She laughs too, sliding her hand down my arm until she's able to intertwine our fingers together.

"Shall we?"

I nod. "Yep. Let's go. Dry clothes won't do us any harm that's for sure."

"Plus, I can make us tea when we arrive."

"And we can find an excuse to sneak into my room and then... cuddle on my bed?" I internally cringe when the words come out of my mouth, wondering if I could possibly sound any lamer.

Naomi starts to walk, one hand holding mine and the other holding the bike. "Best plan I've had in a long time."

And even though I'm not looking at her, I can hear the smile in her voice.

I smile too, turning my face towards the sky, not caring anymore that the rain has now got us completely wet.

The perspective of a lazy rainy day with Naomi really does sound like the most perfect plan I could have at the moment. And, well, fuck the rest.

**Yay? Nay?**

**I'm not a fan of writing fluff so…. yeah, moving on.**

**I'm not going to make a promise on the next update (we all know how well that turned out...) but let's just say I'll try my best to make it fast (ish).**

**Next chapter: Naomi and Emily are participating in the Hunger Games. And, you know, they keep being cute and all.**

**Review? Or burn a voodoo doll with my face, I've earned it. LOVE!**


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